It's All Fun and Games
by Miyuri Tora
Summary: She grew up in the Rukongai with Hisagi Shuuhei. And life was hard, but they always looked out for each other. Now they're soul reapers, and she's fought her way into the 4th seat of the 11th division, which is a position that she holds with pride. -(Rated M for a reason. Will contain lemons.)-
1. Chapter 1: Scuffles and Pranks

Chapter 1: Scuffles and Pranks

* * *

"Dammit, Chikaru! If you don't knock it the hell off I'm gonna tear those buns off of your head!" Ikkaku shouted angrily.

I was sitting on the roof of our barracks watching him and Yumichika have a staring contest, my legs swinging out casually and occasionally kicking Ikkaku in his big, bald head.

"I really wish that you would do something about your hair, Chikaru." Yumichika sighed. "It's much too lovely to be worn in such a mess." It wasn't the first time he had told me something like that.

I "accidentally" kicked Yumichika in the head this time. "Oops…" I mumbled, trying to feign innocence, but failing miserably.

"Chikaru!" They both yelled, simultaneously breaking their staring contest to glare at me.

I giggled at them, tilting my head to the side. "What?"

"That's it!" Ikkaku jumped to the roof and tackled me.

We began brawling and rolled off the roof, landing on Yumichika. Then fists were flying everywhere. Ikkaku was yelling angrily, Yumichika was spouting about how we were wrinkling his clothes, and I was laughing like a maniac.

"Ahem!" A fake cough broke through the air and we all looked up to see Shuuhei, Renji, and Rangiku.

We froze in our motions, still midway through our scuffle. I had a hand fisted in Ikkaku's robes and another holding back Yumichika's face. Ikkaku was pulling us both by the hair. Yumichika had a brush in his hand and was trying to reach my head so that he could tame my wild mane.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Renji looked down at us with a brow raised.

Shuuhei rolled his eyes before prying me out of the pile.

"I swear, the 11th Division can be so barbaric." Rangiku commented as the other two stood to their feet and began dusting themselves off.

"Just let me fix your hair, Chikaru!" Yumichika shouted, stomping his foot.

I had been in the process of smoothing it out, but after hearing him, I decided to make a point to muss it up further and then I stuck my tongue out at him. "Nyah!"

He growled under his breath as his face turned red.

Renji, Ikkaku, and I all laughed. Shuuhei crossed his arms and shook his head. Rangiku only sighed.

"Come on." Shuuhei grabbed my arm and began to pull me away.

I shrugged. "Okay."

"Hey!" Ikkaku called after us. "I wasn't finished with her, yet!"

"Then challenge her to a drinking contest." Renji suggested as he and Rangiku began to follow along. "We're going out."

* * *

Not long after, we were all crowded around a table at our favorite place, drinking sake by the bottles. Ikakku had, unsurprisingly, challenged me and everyone else to a drinking contest. So we were all drunk. And there was no clear winner, because we sort of lost track of what we were doing… especially when Yumichika leapt across the table to try and brush my hair again.

"Dammit, Yumichika!" I tried to wrestle him off of me, but I was drunk and he had caught me off guard.

"Just… let me… get rid of those buns!" He growled out as he struggled against me.

I could hear laughter erupting around us. "I like my hair this way!" I shouted at him, turning to bite at his hand.

"But it's an unkempt mess!" He shrieked.

It's true… my long, black hair usually stayed uncombed and even fell into my face at times. I had two messy buns on the top of my head, decorating each side. Yumichika often called them misplaced, saying it made no sense to not take care of my hair and yet take the time to tie buns into it.

I finally landed a bite onto his thumb and I latched on, making him scream.

"Agh! Chikaru, let go!" He flailed around madly, trying to pry me off of him.

Renji was the one to pull us apart, grabbing us both by the collars of our robes. "That's enough, children." He muttered, still laughing.

We both glared up at him. I kicked him in the shin and he dropped us immediately, yelping in pain.

Yumichika straightened his robes and brushed his hair back, smirking at Renji. "That will teach you for messing with a beast." He stood beside me proudly.

I shrugged. "I learned from the best." Everyone knew that I was referring to my captain.

"You've always been feral…" Shuuhei mumbled.

That made Ikakku laugh. "That's why captain wanted her for our division in the first place!"

I grinned happily. My division certainly was the best division.

* * *

I was riding on Shuuhei's back since, apparently, I was too drunk to walk back to the barracks. Ikkaku and Yumichika had already run off, stumbling and tripping over each other, but Shuuhei had stopped me from going with them. He wanted to make sure that I got home safely.

Shuuhei and I had grown up together in the Rukongai, so we had a habit of looking after each other. Of course, he was the more responsible one of the two of us, since I was usually running around recklessly and getting into trouble. He was always getting me out of said trouble and making sure that I didn't hurt anyone… or myself. I would have never survived the Rukongai or the Academy without him. And he said the same about me.

I clutched my arms around him and snuggled my head between his shoulder blades. "I could've just walked home with Ikkaku and Yumichika, ya know."

"You could have… But who knows what kind of mess the three of you would have caused." He sighed. "I'd rather take you home myself. That way I know that you're safe and out of trouble."

I giggled and nuzzled his neck. "You always worry too much."

He chuckled under his breath. "Yeah, well, you always give me cause to worry."

I flicked the back of his ear playfully. "I'm not that bad, Shuuhei."

He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Tch. Keep telling yourself that."

I pouted out my lip before flicking him again, harder this time.

He just laughed.

* * *

I woke up to hear screaming and crashing. It must be morning already. I sat up slowly and yawned. I got dressed, not bothering to look in the mirror, and sleepily made my way outside. I stepped out just in time for Yachiru to come hurling into me. I caught her in my arms as I topple backwards, landing on my ass. She looked up at me and giggled, her eyes wide and full of mischief.

"Run!" She squealed as she grabbed my hand and took off.

I followed without question, knowing that she had probably pulled another prank and was running from her victim. I was crouched down as I ran since she still had a firm grasp on my hand. She giggled hysterically the whole way.

"Come on, Honey!" She called me Honey because my eyes were golden in color, similar to one of her favorite natural sweets.

We ducked into an alley and hid behind some boxes just as a flustered Tetsuzaemon came running by, drenched and dripping with I don't even know what. As soon as he was out of sight, Yachiru fell onto her back and succumbed to her giggles. I smiled at her, wondering what the hell she had done.

"Okay!" She sat up and grinned at me. "Kenny should still be taking his nap, so we have time for one more prank!" She exclaimed happily, clapping her hands together.

I often participated in her pranks with her, because they were so damn fun. And since she was my lieutenant, the consequences were minimal. "Then who's next on your list?"

"Byakushi, of course!" Her grin widened.

Captain Kuchiki was one of her favorite victims. Especially since her hideout was hidden beneath his compound. Today, her plan was to round up a bunch of chickens and release them into his yard. So we did just that, using the underground tunnels to our advantage. We watched from the top of his wall as he casually walked by, the chickens squawking and pecking at his garden. Then his head slowly turned to observe his bird infested yard. Without a word, his head snapped up and his cold eyes met ours. Dammit! We took off running, not even daring a backwards glance. To our relief, he didn't chase us.

* * *

Lieutenant Yachiru and I were outside of our barracks, waiting for Captain Kenpachi to wake up from his nap. Well, Yachiru was. I was just bored. We had gotten ice cream cones, because Yachiru had a strange addiction to sweets, and were eating them happily… until a yell snapped us to attention.

"There you two are!" Renji bellowed, stomping as he approached us. "Thanks to your stupid stunt, I've spent the past hour catching chickens and then cleaning up their shit!" He flung his arms about angrily.

Yachiru and I burst out laughing, amused by his misfortune.

"It's not funny!" He yelled.

"It so is!" I yelled back at him, still laughing. I pointed at him. "Look! You've still got fluffy feathers in your hair!"

He growled and closed the distance between us, reaching to grab me. "You little-"

He was cut off and stopped short when Yachiru threw her unfinished ice cream into his face. It landed on his forehead with a splat and then slid down his face. His eye twitched and his nostrils flared.

"Run, Honey, run!" She screamed, grabbing my wrist and taking off, not for the first time that day.

I dropped my own ice cream as I ran after her, Renji chasing after us and yelling his rage. We rounded corners and jumped buildings, trying to lose him, but it was no use. At some point, Yachiru had jumped onto my shoulders and started using my buns as handles, urging me onward. I laughed as I ran, which made the effort even more difficult. But it was so funny to look back and see Renji, red-faced and covered in ice cream, screaming and chasing after us. I was looking back at him when I ran abruptly into something, the impact knocking my breath from me and landing me on my ass. Fuck. Who put that wall there?

I rubbed my sore head and looked up to see my captain. Oh. That explains a lot. I grinned up at him. "Hey captain!"

He stared down at me and raised a brow. "Chikaru, what are you doing down there?"

Damn. He hadn't even noticed that I had run into him. I giggled. "Funny story…"

"He's here!" Yachiru squealed as Renji finally caught up to us. She clutched on to my buns and kicked her feet as she giggled.

I turned to see him behind us. He was panting and still fuming. It was hilarious.

"I see…" Captain Kenpachi looked up at Renji and then back down to Yachiru and me. "You two must have been up to no good again."

"She made me do it!" We both shouted together as I pointed up and she pointed down.

Captain Kenpachi lifted a brow. "I'm sure that it was a collaboration. I swear, a man can't even take a nap around here without worrying about you two running off and causing trouble…" He grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Awww, but Kenny! We were just having fun!" Yachiru jumped from my shoulders to his, smiling brightly.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes before he walked away.

I watched them go. Well, Yachiru had managed to dissuade our captain… but dammit! They had left me alone with an outraged Renji! I turned to face the red-haired lieutenant and grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. I was still sitting on the ground, so he was towering over me.

"You should really wash your face, Renji…" I mumbled, observing the sticky ice cream that still coated him.

He roared before tackling me, and I laughed as I countered him.

* * *

I had been called to the captain's office, and I was eager to find out what he wanted. I sped my way to him, curiosity driving me forward. I knocked before entering and kneeled on the ground.

"Yasei Chikaru, 4th seat of the 11th division, reporting for duty." I called out the usual salute when answering an official summons.

"Hey, Honey!" Yachiru spouted, never one for formality.

I smiled at her before focusing my attention on my captain.

"Chikaru." He started, immediately getting to the point. "You've been selected to go to the Human World with Lieutenant Abarai. You are to prepare to leave immediately."

I was shocked to hear the news, but I was excited to be making a visit outside of the Seireitei. "And what is my mission, Captain Kenpachi?"

He looked off to the side as if he were bored. "There's been some strange spiritual pressure in Karakura Town. You're going to monitor and keep an eye on things."

Well that sounded terribly dull. I nodded my head. "Whatever you say, captain."

* * *

**So, yeah, I'm starting this story in the Bount Arc… 'cause it will work out better in the long run.**

**Question for this chapter: Chikaru is super excited to see someone in the Human World! Who do you think it is?**

**5 points for a correct answer and 3 points for an attempt :D**


	2. Chapter 2: The Human World

**5 points to P.S. Ellie and Satoberi!**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Human World

* * *

"Renji! These clothes feel weird!" I grumbled, fidgeting with the strange fabric that covered the Gigai that I was in.

"Well don't blame me!" Renji was fiddling with his clothes as well. "Blame these weird ass humans…"

"Ugh! They're uncomfortable!" I groaned. "I'm taking them off…"

"Stop that!" Renji grabbed my hands before I could remove the strange top, his face red and flushed. "You can't just walk around naked, you weirdo!"

"Uuuugh!" I stomped my foot. "Fine…" My lips fell into a pout as I conceded.

He resumed walking, pulling me along by my wrist… probably an extra precaution to keep me from undressing. Dammit… these clothes were so obnoxious. And so was this Gigai! We reached a tall building with tons of windows. I could sense Ichigo and the other humans that I had met in the Seireitei inside. We positioned ourselves under the window of the room that we knew he was in, and started calling out.

"Ichigo! Hey Ichigo!"

"Stop hiding! We know you're in there!"

"Come out, Ichigo!"

"Kurasaki Ichigo, don't hide from us! Get your ass out here!"

When Ichigo appeared in the window, along with several other faces, I started to wave happily. He had a frantic look on his face, and then he disappeared again. Renji started yelling louder.

"Come on!"

"Hurry up!"

Ichigo came charging around the corner, a furious look on his face. "Will you two shut the hell up?!"

I frowned. "What's his problem?"

Renji just smiled, totally oblivious. "Yo!"

And then he leapt forward and tackled us both down before dragging us into the bushes. "You two are making a scene!" He looked around over his shoulders, only to find that no one was watching.

I rubbed my head and glared at him. "That was not nice, Ichigo."

"Yeah! What the hell was that all about?!" Renji shouted, gripping Ichigo by the shirt.

Ichigo shoved Renji off of him. "What's with you two?! You can't just show up to my school and start yelling! It's not normal!"

"Normal is overrated." I stuck my tongue out at him.

He rolled his eyes before focusing in on us. "And what the hell are you guys wearing? You look like hippies."

I pointed at Renji. "I told you that these clothes were weird!" And then I tried to take them off again, but two pairs of hands quickly stopped me, pulling my top back down and trapping my wrists.

"And I told you that you can't walk around naked!" Renji shouted back, his face red again as he held me from behind, restraining my arms.

"Jeez, Chikaru! In what world is that okay?!" Ichigo had a panicked look on his face, which was also red. He was in front of me, holding my wrists down.

I groaned, trying to wriggle out of their grasp. "But it's so uncomfortable!"

"If you just shut the hell up then I'll get you more clothes, okay?! Just don't strip!" Ichigo shook me in his grasp.

My eyes swirled and I felt dizzy. "Uh, okay…"

He stopped and sighed, letting me go. "And I thought killing hollows was work… Now I've gotta keep a damn soul reaper from running around town naked…" He grumbled.

"Yeah, well you should try being put in charge of her on an assignment. She never listens!" Renji grumbled after him, still holding me from behind.

"I'm right here, guys!" I shouted, not liking the fact that they were talking about me.

"Yeah…" Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "What are you two doing here, anyway?"

Renji finally let me go, but he kept an arm over my shoulders for good measure. "Well the Soul Society decided that they needed some extra muscle in this town, so they put me in charge of it. Chikaru is here to help me. Urahara told us where you were, so we came to see you. That's about it. So now, I'm in charge!" He pointed at himself proudly.

"Oh, so you got demoted." Ichigo smirked at him.

Renji tensed before shouting in anger. "No! I did not! You just don't know how to control your damn spiritual pressure! You're attracting Hollows! So someone had to come and make sure your ass didn't get this whole town killed!"

"You're so full of shit!" Ichigo shouted back at him.

I laughed at them. They could get so worked up. Then the spiritual pressure around us ruptured and a Hollow appeared.

"See?!" Renji spat out.

I rolled my eyes. "Let's just deal with the Hollow, okay?" I popped a soul candy and tried to crawl out of my Gigai, but I got stuck. "Dammit!"

Renji laughed at me before doing the same thing, also getting stuck. His eyes widened as he flopped around. "I can't get out!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Ichigo yelled as he stared at us both.

"Just go deal with the Hollow!" Renji yelled back as he continued to thrash around, only his torso free from the Gigai.

I watched Ichigo run off as I squirmed to get free. "What kind of defective Gigais are these?!"

Renji finally got free from his and kicked it where it lay at his feet. Then he turned and wrapped his arms around my waist, yanking me out of mine. We turned around just in time to see Ichigo finish off the Hollow.

"Aw, man…" I whined.

Ichigo ran back over to us while Renji commented on a job well done.

"Don't just leave your bodies lying around like that! Put them back on!" Ichigo yelled as he got back into his.

"But I just got out of it!" Renji grumbled.

"And it's uncomfortable!" I slouched at the thought.

Ichigo's eye twitched as he turned to look at us. "Just get out of here so I can go back to class!"

Just then, a ringing sound echoed through the air. I looked around, hand on Zanpakuto, ready for danger. Ichigo smacked his hand onto his forehead and rubbed down the side of his face. Then he deadpanned at me as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Settle down there, killer. It's just the school bell." He explained.

I eyed him skeptically, but then realized it was true as dozens of people started to pour out of the building, talking and laughing as they went off in separate directions.

"Get back into your damn bodies!" Ichigo yelled at Renji and me.

We groaned, but we crawled back into the stupid Gigais. It was just in time, too, because several of the exiting students spotted Ichigo and began to head over in his direction, waving and calling his name.

"Chikaru!" Orihime shouted as she ran over.

"Orihime!" I smiled widely and waved at her.

When she made it over we embraced each other in a huge hug. Damn, was I happy to see her. She was so much fun!

"Hey, Chikaru." Chad mumbled, now standing beside us.

I looked up at his hair covered face. "Hey, Chad!"

"Jeez, what am I? Chopped liver?" Renji grumbled as everyone ignored him.

"You're just not as cool as Chikaru is." Ichigo answered him with a smirk.

"What was that?!" Renji shouted at him.

I sighed. "Don't be upset, Renji. You know it's true." I stuck my tongue out at him.

He responded by putting me in a headlock and giving me a noogie. I screamed and tried to squirm out of his grasp. I even kicked him in the shin, which made him shout, but instead of letting me go he just dug his knuckles harder into my skull.

"Will you two knock it off?!" Ichigo grabbed my waist, positioned his foot on Renji's torso, and then pried me out of Renji's grasp. Then he stood in between us to make sure that we didn't start fighting again.

"Ichigo, who are these people? You said they were distant relatives?" A short guy with black hair questioned.

"And why haven't you introduced me to her before?!" Some guy with brown hair started fawning over me.

I lifted a brow and was just about to punch him on the top of the head, but Ichigo did it for me. He hit the ground with a thud and started whining excessively.

"That's a strange scar… How did you get it?" It was a chick with black hair talking to me this time.

I sighed. So many people… And of course humans would be put off by the scar over my face. "It's from a childhood accident." I answered her. It wasn't really a lie. I had been attacked by a hollow as a child, and I supposed that could be considered an accident…

"And what's with the tattoos?" The black haired guy asked, even though his first question hadn't been answered.

Renji did have a lot of tattoos… but I only had one… a "69" on my neck, in honor of the man who had saved my life as a child. How the hell was I supposed to explain that to these humans?

"Aww, she's just so cute!" A chick with short, red hair made a run for me, her hands out and ready to grope.

My eyes went wide. What the hell?! I crouched down, ready to retaliate, but Renji dove in front of me, taking a protective stance. But before he had to do anything, the girl with black hair grabbed her from behind, stopping her in her tracks and yelling at her as she did. What was with these humans?!

"Will you people stop hovering?!" Ichigo grumbled, a sweat drop on his forehead.

"This is Renji, he's Ichigo's distant cousin. And this is Chikaru, she's Renji's friend." Orihime was quick to explain. "They're from a big city, and they do things a little differently there." She smiled so widely and looked so innocent that no one would dare question her.

Renji, Ichigo, and I all just turned to her and blinked. Wow, she was good. Thankfully, her explanation was enough to get them to stop with the bombardment of questions. They started talking amongst themselves and Ichigo discreetly pulled Orihime and me aside, Renji following after us.

"Orihime, I need a favor…" Ichigo mumbled quietly, scratching the back of his head.

She blinked up at him. "Sure, Ichigo. What is it?"

"Well… our Chikaru here is unhappy with her Gigai's clothes… and she keeps trying to strip them off." He glared at me pointedly. "So I was wondering if you could help us out… so that I don't have to worry about her running around naked, or anything."

I returned his glare. "Maybe you should try walking around in something this uncomfortable!"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't care how uncomfortable it is, I still wouldn't try to go around public naked!"

Orihime laughed. "Sure, I can let her borrow something of mine." She took my hand. "Come on, Chikaru. You can try on whatever you want and pick something out."

I looked at her, pondering the idea. We were about the same height and had a similar build… but her boobs… her boobs were huge. Don't get me wrong, I had a decent sized rack. But it was nothing compared to hers. Eh, anything had to be better than these itchy and constraining clothes that I was wearing now. "Okay!" I smiled at her and she started to pull me away.

"Hold on just a minute!" Renji called after us. "How am I supposed to trust you not to do anything stupid?"

I blew him a raspberry as Orihime assured him that we'd be fine. And then we took off. Renji was yelling after me, but I ignored him, running faster and throwing him the peace sign without even looking back.

* * *

I had tried on several of Orihime's clothes before I ended up with something that I thought would work. The shorts were tan and they fit just right. The shirt was a little baggy, as I thought it might be, but it wasn't too bad. It was dark purple with a pale blue kitten on it… Eh. It was comfy.

She had asked me to stay for dinner, and I agreed. I wasn't sure exactly what I had eaten, but it was a really strange combination of flavors. And I was hungry, so I ate it. She seemed really excited about it, so I made sure to compliment her. The dessert was even weirder. It was sour, salty, and sweet all at the same time. How was that even possible? Again, I ate it and gave her a compliment. She seemed pleased that I enjoyed her cooking.

After wishing her a good night and thanking her for everything, I walked back to Urahara's shop. I walked in to find Jinta and Ururu cleaning up after dinner. I ruffled Jinta's hair, to his dismay, and made my way to the room that Renji and I were supposed to be sharing. I walked in to find him changing for bed.

"Ah!" He yelped. "Don't you knock?!"

I shrugged. "It's my room, too. Why would I knock?"

He glared at me as he finished pulling on his sleeping yukata, tying it securely around him. I started pulling off my clothes without a second thought.

"What are you doing?!" He shouted, gaping at me.

Was he stupid? "I'm changing."

His face was red again. "But I'm still in here!"

I rolled my eyes. "If you don't want to see, then turn around."

He growled under his breath as he turned to face the wall. I continued to change, not really caring either way. I wanted to laugh when I saw him peaking over his shoulder, but I decided that I wouldn't embarrass him further by drawing attention to it. I finished quickly, almost feeling sorry for him.

"Okay, I'm done."

He sighed as he sat down on his bed, pulling his hair out of the tie. I watched him running his fingers through it before sitting down on the bed behind him. His body tensed.

"Chikaru?"

"Here." I took his hair and started to run a brush through it, making sure to be gentle.

He slowly relaxed as I brushed his hair. After it was nice and smooth, I put the brush down and started to braid it so that it would be more comfortable for sleeping. I tied the end and nodded, satisfied with my work. I stood from the bed.

"There ya go." I started to walk off when I felt him grab my wrist.

"Not so fast." He muttered. He pulled me back down and I landed on the bed, in front of him this time. "It's your turn."

I laughed as he started to untie my buns. "Just don't tell Yumichika."

He laughed, too. "Right, I wouldn't want him to kill me in a jealous rage…"

The brush felt good as he softly ran it through my hair, smoothing it down. There was the occasional tangle, but it wasn't too bad. I closed my eyes and reveled in the feeling. After some time, he put the brush down and began to braid my hair. I smiled. He wound my hair into two twin braids, rather than one, and secured them with the ties. When he was finished, he grabbed the ends and tugged them gently. I tilted my head back and looked at him upside down, grinning up at him. He returned my grin.

"You're all set." He tugged my braids again.

I looked into his warm, brown eyes and smiled. "Thanks."

I made a move to stand, but he stopped me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and put his chin on my shoulder. My heart sped up in my chest. What was he doing?

"R-Renji?" I heard myself stutter and felt ridiculous for it. It was so unlike me.

He turned his face inward so that his breath was fanning over my ear. It almost made me shiver. I turned my head to face him and a smile spread across his face. He pressed his forehead against mine, still smiling. I realized that I was holding my breath. His nose touched mine as he leaned further in. I could hear my own heart pounding. What the hell? He chuckled and I felt his warm breath on my lips. Then I saw it… the devious glint in his eye that told me that he was up to no good. I tried to pull out of his grasp, but it was too late. His smile turned into an evil grin as he pinned me down and began to tickle me mercilessly.

"Dammit, Renji!" I yelped and shrieked and tried to kick him off of me.

But he was straddling my body, his legs restraining mine, and my arms were getting weak from laughter.

"Why, Renji, why?!" I screamed and cried through my laughs.

"It's payback for running off on me earlier!" He yelled, grinning like a madman while he tortured me.

Tears were running down my face at his relentless tickling. I was flailing around, hoping to land a good punch, but the bastard kept dodging. "You asshole!" It sounded weird to curse angrily while I was laughing hysterically. "Dammit!"

Suddenly the door to our room burst open and Urahara was standing over us. We both froze in our movements to look up at him. I did my best to stop my laughter, but dammit it was almost impossible. Tears were still streaking my face.

"Will the two of you kindly keep your foreplay on a quieter volume?" He drawled, sounding bored. "There are other people in this house that aren't interested in hearing you get it on…"

For the first time in a long time, I felt myself blush, my cheeks hot and red with the implications. Renji blushed about ten shades darker than I did. "This isn't foreplay!" We both shouted in unison.

"Whatever…" He mumbled as he walked away, closing the door behind him.

I looked back up at Renji. He was still on top of me, holding me down. His face was insanely red, about the same color as his hair, as he stared at the closed door. His head slowly turned as he looked back down at me. Then his eyes widened as he realized the position that we were in. He immediately released me and looked away, even his ears red with embarrassment.

I rolled off of his bed and stood on my feet, walking over to my own bed. I lied down and snuggled under the blanket. He turned off the light before getting comfortable in his bed. It was silent for a long time.

"Goodnight." He muttered quietly.

I laughed softly. "Goodnight, Renji."

* * *

**So what do you think Chikaru will do to retaliate against Renji's payback?**

* * *

**P.S. Ellie, thank you! And lol, you're totally right!**

**Satoberi, yes! lol**


	3. Chapter 3: Kidnappings

**5 points to Satoberi and 3 points to P.S. Ellie!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Kidnappings

* * *

I woke up to Renji shaking me. I groaned and tried to bury my face into the pillow.

"Ugh! Come on, Chikaru! We have to go!" He shouted in a whisper.

I turned my head enough so that I could crack open an eye to look at him… he was in soul form. I wondered why. I yawned and snuggled further into my blankets. "Not now, Renji… I'm too sleepy."

He blinked before a slight blush rose to his face. "Now's not the time for your jokes, Chikaru! The Soul Pager is going off! We've got a job to do!"

I groaned as I sat up slowly. "Fine…" I mumbled, rubbing the sand from my eyes.

I caught Renji staring at me with his jaw slacked and his eyes wide, blush darkening by the second. I tilted my head, trying to figure out what the deal was. Then I realized that my yukata had loosened drastically, and more than a fair share of cleavage was showing. In fact, my nipples were almost in view. I laughed softly, tracing the hems with my fingers, threatening to open it wider.

"Like what you see, Renji?" I teased, wanting to crack up laughing at the look on his face.

His mouth moved as he tried to form words. I leaned forward, standing on my knees to give him a better view.

"Chi-Chikaru?" He stuttered my name.

I wanted to laugh so badly. This was just too perfect. I positioned myself over his lap, my legs straddling his, and leaned in to nuzzle his neck. I heard him exhale and his hands found their way to my waist. I felt my heart speed up a little. Even though this was my game, it was hard not to lose focus with his hands on me. Why did he make me feel this way? I cleared my head and remembered what I was doing. This was payback. I placed my hands on his chest and ran them down to his ribs. Without another thought, I plunged my fingers between his ribs, effectively driving all of the air from his lungs and inflicting as much pain as possible. I jumped away from him before he could retaliate. I laughed as he clutched his sides and tried to catch his breath, groaning in pain. I was ready to go before he had even recovered.

"What the fuck was that for?" He grumbled when he had finally caught his breath.

I was still laughing. "Payback for the tickling."

"But the tickling was payback for your leaving!" He stood up and pointed at me.

I shrugged as I left the room, still giggling.

"This isn't over!" He shouted as he followed after me.

* * *

We made our way to Ichigo's because Renji decided that we were going to drag him along with us. And I was totally okay with that. We crawled in through his window to find him sleeping. I straddled his waist while Renji crouched on the bed behind me, his hands on my shoulders as he peered down into Ichigo's face. Then we started whispering, loudly, so that we wouldn't wake up his family.

"Ichigo!"

"Ichigo, wake up!"

He opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus. And then he screamed. I grinned at his reaction.

"It's about time you woke up! You shouldn't let your guard down like that." Renji grumbled.

I giggled. "Jeez, Renji… He was sleeping."

Ichigo's eye twitched. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"

"We've got a job to do. And you're going to come with us." Renji answered sternly.

Ichigo blanched. "What? I don't see why I have to tag along…" Then he started glaring. "That is, unless you're all helpless like Rukia and you need my help for everything."

"What?! Why I oughtta-" Renji was leaning over me to get to Ichigo when he was interrupted by the closet door opening and a screechy voice yelling for us all to shut up.

I looked over to see a torn up stuffed animal shrieking about it being the middle of the night or something… I stared at it, wondering if I was still dreaming. That _was_ a stuffed lion, right?

Renji screamed and hid behind me. "Agh! What the hell is that?!"

The stuffed thing, with an eye dangling and stuffing hanging out, jumped from the closet and started charging across the floor. It was on some sort of rant about Rukia and counting sheep or something… And it would just not shut up. I leaned forward to get a better look. Just what exactly was it? And why the hell was it so loud?

"Make it be quiet!" I covered my ears to muffle out it's high pitched complaining.

Then, upon noticing me, it completely changed its attitude. It started getting all sparkly eyed and fluttery and it was muttering about mountains or something… and then it tried to leap up at me. But Renji caught it by its face.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" He plunged his hand into its mouth and pulled out a Soul Candy. "Wow, so this really is a Mod Soul! So it'll move even if you put it in something like this?"

I was still sitting on Ichigo's lap. I turned to look at him skeptically. "That's just weird, Ichigo."

Ichigo lifted a brow. "Why are you guys so interested in it?"

Renji shrugged before popping the Soul Candy back into the strange stuffed animal and shaking it around. "I dunno, I guess it's just one of those things I had forgotten about…"

"And it's freaking weird." I finished for him.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Maybe that's why you morons couldn't get out of your Gigais… forgetting about stupid shit like this…"

I elbowed him. "They were defective!"

He grunted, but didn't retaliate. "So what is this job that you two woke me up for anyway?"

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot." Renji mumbled as he threw the stuffed animal down on the ground.

I giggled when it squeaked. "It's so weird…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes again. "Will you get off of me now?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "No. I'm comfy."

He only sighed.

"Ahem!" Renji interrupted. "As I was saying… It's about this message that I got on my Soul Pager. I mean, the spiritual pressure isn't all that strong, but… you can feel it, can't you?" He looked at Ichigo pointedly.

Ichigo took a moment to use his senses… and then he gasped. "Orihime!"

"Yeah. Whatever the source is, it's close to her." Renji concluded.

"You should have said that before!" Ichigo picked me up and set me on my feet before grabbing his Soul Badge and changing to soul form.

"Relax, Ichigo." I tried to calm him. "Orihime is a lot stronger than whatever it is."

He sighed. "Still, we need to go! Come on!" He grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me out of the window, in a hurry to get to her.

Renji followed behind.

* * *

We arrived to see a strange gate outside of Orihime's house. I eyed it suspiciously. There was something off about it.

"Please don't let those be the gates to the underworld! I'm not ready!" Renji yelled behind me.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, come on, Renji! Those look nothing like the gates to the underworld!"

"Well just what the hell are they?!" Ichigo shouted.

We heard someone calling out, and turned to see Chad and Uryuu approaching us… just in time to see Orihime being swallowed by the gates. Nothing could be done before they disappeared. I felt sick to my stomach. I hadn't been worried because I thought that Orihime could handle whatever it was… but clearly, I was wrong. And as I heard Ichigo shout her name, I felt angry at myself. I shouldn't have wasted time playing around. I should have gotten to her sooner.

* * *

We had spent all night searching for her. There wasn't even a trace of her spiritual pressure anywhere. What was even stranger than that was that someone had tampered with the memories of the humans, and none of them even recognized her name. From that, we had been able to conclude that she had been deliberately kidnapped. Otherwise, no one would have gone through the trouble to use memory replacement on the people that would miss her. So we decided to head to her house to see if we could find any clues.

I watched as Uryuu attempted to pick the lock, shouting for everyone to be quiet. He was really annoying. So I leaned down to blow a raspberry in his ear. He yelped and then started shouting at me for being disrupting. I responded by getting in his face and continuing my assault. My spit was all over his glasses, and I wanted to laugh, but I just kept at it.

"Will someone help me out here?!" He shouted.

Renji and Ichigo had been arguing in the background, but they stopped to see what was going on.

"Renji, aren't you supposed to be in charge of her?!" Ichigo watched me with a twitching brow.

"Oh, right." Renji grabbed me by the waist and threw me over his shoulder. "Knock it off, Chikaru."

I bit his back, and he promptly dropped me, shouting in pain. The door opened just in time and I darted in before he could do anything to stop me. Luckily, he was distracted by his growling stomach and he was digging in the refrigerator before anything else could be done. Meanwhile, the rest of us were actually looking for clues.

After finding two cups of tea on her table, we decided that she must have known the source of the strange spiritual pressure, and invited them into her home. As we were discussing it, Renji got a call on his Soul Pager. It was a creepy little girl that said that she had Orihime… and apparently she was watching us. She wanted us to make it to a park in three minutes… Well, that should be easy enough.

I sped out of the window, feeling everyone trailing behind. I had a lot of experience with running, since I spent so much of my time running from the victims of the pranks that I pulled with my lieutenant. I was the first one at the park, so I sat on the jungle gym and waited as everyone arrived after me. Apparently Renji and Ichigo had been racing against each other… I laughed as they made it at the same time and glared at me.

"Dammit, Chikaru! How are you so fast?!" Ichigo pointed up at me.

I shrugged and stuck my tongue out at him.

"It's 'cause of all of the practice she gets running around the Seireitei with Lieutenant Yachiru." Renji grumbled.

I giggled, because he was totally right.

"Alright, we made it here in under three minutes, so what now?" Uryuu arrived with Chad, looking around the park skeptically.

Ichigo began to yell into the empty air, but he was interrupted by a ringing sound… it was a phone. Of course… it was the little girl. And this time, she wanted us to run to the supermarket in three minutes. And I had no idea where that was, so I couldn't speed ahead. We arrived just in time to see some human dork answering the phone. Chad was able to scare him off… but the stupid little girl said that we lost because of it. And she hung up after proclaiming that Orihime would die. Fucking little brat… Just when we were ready to hunt her down and gut her alive… she called back. And she said that we needed to run to Urahara's shop. After charging the shop and finding the phone, the stupid little girl said that we needed to go back to Orihime's apartment that night… Ugh! I was getting really fucking tired of this game.

* * *

We made it back to her apartment only to find her completely safe and sound… which was a relief. But it was also frustrating. Who the fuck had taken her? And where were they now? We decided to wait with her just in case something else happened. And sure enough, it did. A strange tornado ripped through the air, breaking the windows in. Renji and I were unable to open the door. I heard a yell, and I turned to see Orihime strangling Chad from behind. Just what the hell was going on here?

"That's not Orihime!" Ichigo shouted, ready to attack.

"No, wait! That's her body that they're possessing!" Uryuu stopped us before we could do anything.

"But dammit! She's killing him!" I yelled, worried about Chad, angry that there wasn't anything that I could do.

Then she let him go and leapt backward, morphing into a strange man with a top hat. Another man appeared in the room, wearing a strange outfit with and a mask to cover his face. We prepared to attack, but they disappeared from the room and the strange gates appeared outside, swallowing Chad before we had a chance to stop them. The men reappeared on top of the gate, along with a little girl… that stupid fucking brat. She taunted us, her giggles echoing through the night sky.

"That just about does it…" Ichigo growled out, grabbing his Zanpakuto.

"I don't think I can attack a kid, though…" Renji mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Then leave her to me. I think it's about time someone punished that little brat…"

"Then I'll take the clown on the left." Renji answered.

"And I'll take care of the one in the top hat." Ichigo decided.

We leapt towards them together, Zanpakuto drawn and ready to strike. But just as we were running our blades through… they vanished into thin air… nothing but that stupid little girl's giggles left behind.

* * *

**Next chapter, Kurodo takes someone's place… who do you think that Chikaru will suspect?**

* * *

**jwadd2, hm, I don't know how I didn't realize that I was doing that… thanks for pointing it out!**

**P.S. Ellie, lol, thanks, I'm glad that you're enjoying it! :) and that would have been funny…**

**Satoberi, lol, good! And yeah, she sort of humiliated him, just not publicly…**


	4. Chapter 4: An Imposter

**5 points to P.S. Ellie and 3 points to Satoberi!**

* * *

Chapter 4: An Imposter

* * *

We ran back to Urahara's to ditch Ichigo's body where it would be safe. We also needed to see if Urahara had found out anything useful. I barely listened while he explained the weirdness of their spiritual pressure, mumbling about Kido and whatnot… I was in the 11th division. Kido was not my forte.

_"__You know that's a lie." _Raiten's voice rumbled in my head.

I rolled my eyes, not even caring if anyone around me would notice. _"Quiet, Raiten."_

I heard Ichigo and Renji bickering about how neither of them could control their Bankai well enough to do any good… and then Renji mentioning the restrictions that were placed on him before we entered the Human World… As a 4th seat, I was lucky enough to avoid these restrictions.

_"__Which is exactly why you're the perfect solution to the problem."_ Raiten chose to ignore my irritation of his input.

I gripped the hilt of my Zanpakuto, Raiten, and growled beneath my breath. _"Shut up, you stupid beast."_

I caught Renji's attention and he looked at me carefully. "You alright?" He mumbled skeptically.

I sighed. "Just peachy."

Before anything else could be said, the phone started ringing. Of course, it was the fucking brat again… The next thing I knew, we were off on our way to the museum. And that weird ass stuffed animal was with us, riding on Uryuu's back... Because apparently, Ichigo wanted it to watch our backs… umm… whatever… it was loud and obnoxious.

"Agghhhh!" It screamed again. "Why'd you have to turn me into a back pack?!"

"I already told you!" Ichigo shouted back. "So just shut your damn mouth before I sew it shut!"

I covered my ears. "Can I just kill it?"

"No." Ichigo answered promptly.

I groaned unhappily.

"But it wouldn't be so bad if I were on someone else's back!" The stuffed thing continued to struggle. Then it crawled onto Uryuu's shoulder and eyeballed me. "Like hers… I wanna ride with her!" It whined and squirmed around… weirdly.

I glared at it, prepared to rip its stuffing out, but Renji beat me to it. He nearly ripped its head off, but Uryuu managed to save it by putting it back on his back.

"It can't be helped!" Ichigo growled out. "Uryuu is the only one who isn't in soul form."

"But if I were on her back I wouldn't complain!" It yelped again.

Ichigo groaned. "If we run into any kind of trouble just drop him into the nearest gutter."

"I'd love to." Uryuu sighed. "But I've packed some important tools into him."

I actually laughed at the horrified face that the creature made when it unzipped itself and a bunch of junk fell out.

* * *

We entered the museum and the stupid little girl's voice sounded from some speakers. Apparently, she wanted us to play hide and seek… I bristled when she demanded that we put our weapons into glass cases.

_"__We shouldn't part."_ Raiten grumbled in my head.

_"__I don't have much of a choice, Raiten."_ Reluctantly, I placed him into the case, trying to ignore the sick feeling that it gave me.

The game was excruciating and long. And we all nearly killed each other on several occasions. Though, I supposed if we hadn't argued to the point where we split up, then Uryuu would never have been able to have solved the damn thing. And then they returned Orihime and Chad, as well as our weapons. Raiten was extremely unhappy. But he was the least of my worries, since that little brat had just said that she was getting ready for another game… after threatening Ichigo's school friends.

* * *

We rushed to school. And dammit, I was getting pretty tired of not knowing my way around this stupid town. Under normal circumstances, I would have been amused at everyone else's shortness of breath and my ability to outrun them with ease.

When we made it to the school, we found mine and Renji's Gigais propped up with Ichigo's body… what the hell?

"How'd our Gigais get all the way out here?" Renji stared at them like they were gum stuck to his shoe.

"We can worry about that later. You'll need to put them on before someone sees them." Uryuu spat out.

"Ugh!" I stomped my foot unhappily.

"What a pain!" Renji groaned, but pulled me forward nonetheless.

Ichigo had already rushed ahead and was putting his on.

"I hate this thing!" I yelled as Renji shoved me towards it. Well, at least mine had some decent clothes now, thanks to Orihime. I laughed because Renji still looked ridiculous.

He flailed his arms around, trying to adjust. "Why does it have to be so uncomfortable?!" He complained.

Ichigo was about to say something, but that hideous little girl's laughter interrupted, drawing our attention. So instead he grumbled how sick he was of her stupid games.

She laughed him off while she explained that one of us had been replaced with an imposter. Well… I sure as hell knew that it wasn't me. She said that we had four hours to figure it out or everyone in Ichigo's school would disappear. And then she hopped away.

We were all distracted, trying to figure everything out, when Ichigo's friends started showing up for school. I watched with mild interest while one of them cried about how Ichigo went out and partied all night without him. Then the black haired guy walked up behind him.

"Oh, your cousin and his friend are still here." He smiled at us.

"Yo." I threw up a peace sign.

The other friend got up off of the ground and got into our faces. "Sweeet, so how long ya planning on staying?"

"Uh, well we hadn't really-" Renji started to answer, but the guy inched closer and kept talking.

"So you guys don't go to school or what?" He asked another question.

I was unnerved by how close he was. I tried to back away, but there wasn't any room. "Not at the moment…"

"Then where do you live?! What do you do?! Are you guys a couple?!" He didn't even take a breath between questions.

I felt my eye twitch. But before I could rip his head off, Renji and Ichigo both kicked him in the face, shouting "Shut up already!"

Then the black haired kid came close again. "Yeah, you two are definitely cousins. You're so much alike it's scary."

Renji and Ichigo made the most shocked and weirded out faces that I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then a ringing sound resonated through the air, just like it had before, and everyone started yelling about being late and rushed off into the building.

* * *

I had convinced Renji to go for ice cream, since Ichigo and everyone else had gone to class. We were sitting on a bench so that we could enjoy it properly. And, of course, we were still trying to figure out who the imposter might be.

We had decided that it wasn't me, obviously. And that it wasn't him. We had also agreed that it wasn't Ichigo. I highly suspected Uryuu, but Renji thought that was just because I didn't really like him… I told him that it couldn't be Orohime. And with Chad, it was hard to tell… so we basically talked ourselves around in circles.

"Ya know…" Renji mumbled thoughtfully, taking another bite of his ice cream. "This stuff is actually good… when you're not throwing it in my face." He gave me a pointed glare.

I giggled. "That was Lieutenant Yachiru."

He rolled his eyes. "You were with her. And it's not like you haven't done it yourself, before…"

"Only 'cause you deserved it." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"As if!" He shouted at me indignantly.

I used the opportunity to shove a bite of my ice cream into his mouth. Then I laughed when he nearly choked on it. He just glared at me. Then he eyeballed my face.

"Jeez, Chikaru, you should aim for your mouth." He gestured to his own face, and I figured that I must have gotten ice cream on my face.

I rubbed the corner of my lips where I suspected it to be, but he shook his head.

"Still there." He made a move to poke me.

I leaned away from him and continued to rub at my face.

"Just let me get it!" He reached to grab me.

"Ugh!" I stilled, letting him get close.

He leaned forward, getting way closer than I expected him to. He was really focused on my face. He licked his thumb and then started to rub my cheek.

"Eww!" I yelped in protest.

He laughed. "Chill out, I'm almost done."

I let him abuse my cheek with his spit covered appendage. And when his face came even closer to scrutinize his work, I began to get suspicious. But it was too late. He shoved what was left of his ice cream into my face.

"Renji!" I screeched. It was cold and sticky and wet. I shivered at the feeling.

He fell backward as he laughed. "Payback!" He barely managed to shout the word through his laughter.

I rubbed my face onto his shirt, smearing the ice cream into it.

"Hey!" He pushed me away, clearly displeased.

I wrinkled my nose, feeling my skin stretch beneath the stickiness that I couldn't get rid of. "Your payback sucked, Renji."

He shrugged. "Guess I'll have to try better next time."

"Oh…" I could feel the smirk spreading my lips. "And there will be a next time…" I leaned forward enough to make him uncomfortable, tracing my fingers along his chest. "Because my payback will be much better than this."

He gulped and cursed beneath his breath.

* * *

After I had properly cleaned my face, we decided that we were bored… so we went to Ichigo's school. We managed to sneak into the classroom unnoticed, because everyone was distracted by this lady that was blabbing at the front of the classroom and writing on the chalkboard that was on the wall. We spotted Ichigo and snuck over… and he didn't even see us until we were leaning on his desk.

"Hey…" Renji grinned as he leaned up into Ichigo's face from the side.

I leaned up from in front of him, folding my arms on his desk. "S'up, Ichigo?"

Ichigo's face looked all panicky again as he stared down at us, looking back and forth as we closed in on him. "Wh-What are you two doing here? Are you guys crazy?"

"Tch. No, we're just bored. You're the crazy one." Renji kept grinning as he answered him.

"Yeah, Ichigo… the Human World is so dull… and we can't figure out who the imposter is…" I complained, agreeing with Renji.

Renji nodded, his head rubbing against mine since we had both leaned in so much. "That copycat guy is pretty good, isn't he?"

Ichigo had been gritting his teeth as we carried on. "Both of you get out of here!" He shouted in a whisper.

I pouted up at him. "Jeez, Ichigo… you are so not nice sometimes…"

Renji chuckled. "Yeah, you should just relax… don't be so uptight…" and then he started messing with the items on his desk… "Oh… so this is what a textbook is…"

I picked up some sort of small, skinny stick and realized that it held ink inside…. I grinned when I realized that I didn't have to dip it before writing. "Hey, Renji, check it out!" I whispered excitedly as I started to scribble on Ichigo's papers.

"How cool!" Renji watched with me as the inky marks appeared from the strange little stick.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched before he pushed Renji's face away. "Will you just get the hell outta here?!"

Renji growled as he pushed Ichigo's hand off of his face. "Let me see that." He tried to take the stick away from me, but I held it out of his reach.

"No." I stuck my tongue out at him. "It's my magic ink stick."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "It's called a pen."

Renji rolled his eyes back, and was going to settle for looking at the textbook, but Ichigo ripped it away from him, pushing him away again.

"Jeez, Renji! Why do you always have to get so close to me and breathe all over me?! Don't you know about personal space?!"

This time Renji stood to his feet, shouting all angrily. "Jeez, you're a nutcase! I just look at your book and you go totally ballistic!"

Ichigo also stood up and shoved his forehead against Renji's, matching his shouting. "Oh, you wanna see ballistic, do you?"

I was watching them as I doodled an image of them pulling at each other's hair when two pieces of chalk came flying through the room, hitting them both in the head. I giggled at the way they both grunted in pain. I looked up to see the babbling woman smiling at them.

"Ichigo, if you and your cousin want to fight then you can do it outside." She said cheerily as she pointed to the door.

And then both boys grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me out of the room. "Hey, what did _I_ do?!" I shouted in protest as I was hauled out of the room.

* * *

**In the next chapter, someone gets accused of sexual harassment… who do you think is the suspect?**

* * *

**Akabane Karma, thank you so much for your review! I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story :D**

**Satoberi, I know, it's so funny, huh? And she picks on Renji, but she actually had enough faith in him not to suspect him… lol**

**P.S. Ellie, I know, right?! Lol. And good guess!**


	5. Chapter 5: Take It Off

**5 points to Satoberi and P.S. Ellie!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Take It Off

* * *

Somehow, the teacher had ended up giving all three of us detention… whatever the hell that was. And now we were sitting out in the hall. Ichigo was complaining, Renji was laughing, and I was pouting. All seemed normal enough… well, normal enough for us, anyway… until Ichigo said something weird.

"Okay, Renji, take it off." Ichigo's voice was stern and demanding.

I stopped what I was doing to look up at them. Ichigo looked really serious… and Renji looked confused. Hell, I was confused, too. What exactly did he want him to take off?

"Just take it off already!" Ichigo demanded again.

"What are you talking about?" Renji asked him.

"If you don't, then I'll take it off for you!" Ichigo grabbed Renji's clothes threateningly.

I gaped as I watched the scene before me… could I really be seeing this? "Ah, jeez! Ichigo, are you coming on to him?!"

"Wait, what?!" Renji yelled, suddenly very nervous.

But Ichigo didn't let up.

"What are you doing?" Renji yelped when Ichigo tightened his grip.

"You know what I'm talking about!" Ichigo yelled back.

"No, Ichigo! I don't think anyone knows what you're talking about!" I wasn't sure if I should go and help Renji, or what… I watched in horror as Ichigo wrapped a leg around Renji in order to shove him to the floor… just what the hell was going on here?

Ichigo pinned Renji down, completely unrelenting.

"Hey, get off me!" Renji cried out, now locked in Ichigo's hold.

"Ah, jeez!" I covered my eyes, afraid to see anymore.

"Don't just stand there, Chikaru! Help me!" Renji ordered.

And technically he was in charge of me while we were here… I groaned, too afraid to open my eyes… but I pried them open anyway and rushed forward.

"No, Chikaru! Don't you see?!" Ichigo gave me a glare. "Just stay back and let me handle this!"

Ah, fuck! What the hell was I supposed to do?! I shuffled, bouncing up and down uncomfortably.

"Dammit, Chikaru!" Renji grunted as he wrestled with Ichigo. "I said help me!"

"I'll rip it off of you!" Ichigo shouted as he struggled on top of him.

"Just hold on!" Renji shouted back.

"I've held on long enough!" Ichigo replied.

Oh, damn it all to hell… "This is worse than any hollow!" I squealed, completely uncomfortable in this situation.

"Then just help me, dammit!" Renji begged, reaching out for me.

I stepped forward and reached for his hand, but Ichigo swatted me away.

"Not until he takes it off!"

"Just get off me!"

"No!"

"Stop it already!"

"I told you to take it off!"

"Stop!"

I realized at some point that a crowd of students had gathered to watch… All of their shouting must have drawn them out. Damn, stupid, fucking weirdos! Of all the times… "Hey, idiots! You have an audience!" I kicked the both of them, drawing their attention.

Renji didn't really care… he kept fighting. But Ichigo at least looked behind him to see his fellow classmates. I sighed in exasperation, face palming as I heard the comments coming from the humans…

* * *

After Orihime and the others had helped me drag Ichigo off of Renji, we had gone outside for some privacy. The other students were quite curious as to what Ichigo had been doing, but Orihime had made up one of her weird ass excuses and we had all run off afterward. And now Renji was hiding behind me while I glared at Ichigo.

"Care to explain why you sexually assaulted a lieutenant of the Gotei 13?" I demanded as I pointed at him accusingly.

Ichigo's face paled immediately. "I d-did no such th-thing!" He stuttered out.

"So you deny the fact that you held him down against his will and tried to force him to take off his clothes?!" I shouted, still pointing.

Renji hid his face behind my shoulder, clutching even tighter onto me as I made the accusations. Uryuu pushed up his glasses as he hid a snicker. Orihime blinked in surprise, obviously still trying to comprehend what had happened. Chad stayed silent, his arms crossed over his chest stoically.

Ichigo's face went from white to red. "That's not what happened!"

"There are witnesses, myself included, who would say otherwise, Kurosaki Ichigo!" I stomped my foot to provide emphasis.

Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I was talking about his Gigai!"

I tilted my head, caught off guard by the new information. "The prosecution offers the defense a chance to elaborate."

Everyone deadpanned at me before Ichigo started speaking again. "I thought that if I could get him to take off his Gigai then that would be a sure way to figure out if it was really him or not! 'Cause it would be, like, impossible to change into a soul reaper!"

Hmm… that made sense…

"I see what you're saying, but we still don't have any idea of what the copycat is actually capable of, or how powerful his ability is." Uryuu processed the information and gave his rebuttal. "You just can't make irrational decisions like that… We can't rule out the possibility that he could copy someone's abilities as well as their appearance."

"Well I still wasn't trying to get Renji naked…" Ichigo crossed his arms and muttered underneath his breath.

I nodded, satisfied with the information. "Case dismissed."

Renji sighed and finally stood up straight, but he stayed behind me… just in case.

* * *

Renji and I had split up from the others again and were trying to contact the Soul Society for some information… or maybe some backup if need be. But… we had been unable to reach anyone there. And that was a very uncomfortable feeling. After several failed attempts, we decided to go back to the school and let the others know.

We found everyone in a classroom and I listened as Renji explained what was going on. And then I listened while Uryuu rambled on about using intuition to solve our problem… I shrugged. I supposed that it was worth a try. We all lined up and took turns just guessing who we thought the imposter might be. And, of course, no one picked the same person… so that failed.

And then the stupid little girl showed up, giggling while random students just started disappearing into thin air. She annoyed and taunted us until we eventually figured out who the imposter was… The copycat was posing as Chad. It was pretty easy to figure out when he uncharacteristically freaked out about Yoruichi and Sui Feng… and then didn't even recognize them… And instead of giving Chad and everyone else back, the stupid, fucking brat said that there was another game to play… and then she disappeared again.

* * *

I barely paid any attention as Renji and Ichigo picked another fight with each other. I was too busy worrying about why we still couldn't contact the Soul Society… I heard them asking Orihime if she remembered anything… and she rambled about tea and muffins… I sighed… none of this was helping. Renji wondered out loud about what could have possibly had Yoruichi so worked up and why we still hadn't heard from Urahara… and I wondered the same thing… And then Uryuu started speculating about the stupid games… And everything was just giving me a headache! I fell backward, lying down in the grass to stare up at the cloud covered moon.

Then the next game finally came, announced by fireworks… Thirty minutes… we had thirty minutes to destroy the unimaginably huge gate that had appeared in the town. It was so big that we even questioned whether or not it was real, considering that it may be another illusion… but it had opened up into a dangerous vacuum. We were all being sucked into the gate… and I watched as my friends called out for each other, unable to resist the pull.

_"__Use me!"_ Raiten's voice yelled out in my head.

I clenched my jaw, knowing that I didn't really have much choice. I could use my Bankai… but it was Kido-based… and the 11th Division was not supposed to use Kido…

"Chikaru!" Renji called my name and reached for my hand, having found some stability by grabbing on to a building's ledge.

I reached back and he grabbed me, pulling me into him and holding us both against the building… but I could feel that we were slipping.

_"__Use me, dammit! Now isn't the time for your foolish pride!"_ Raiten was angry and demanding… his voice sounded like thunder as it echoed in my mind.

But I wasn't any good at controlling the raw power of my Bankai… I could risk destroying the town… or hurting the people that I cared about…

_"__I'll help you. But we can't die here!"_ Raiten's thunderous voice was unrelenting.

Mine and Renji's grip on the building finally gave and we were sent swirling through the air. But he managed to hold onto me, pressing our bodies together as we were flung toward the gate. I looked up, grabbing the hilt of my Zanpakuto… but I realized that Ichigo was already preparing to attack. So maybe… I wouldn't have to…

* * *

Well, we were sent hurling through the gate anyway… I was wrapped in something firm, and yet soft… I opened my eyes to see that Renji was still holding me. He was on top of me, but he was cradling me in a way that kept me safe while we landed. He lifted his head a bit and his eyes became alert when he saw me.

"Are you alright?" He asked immediately, looking me over.

I smiled up at him. "Yeah, thanks…"

He smiled back, but made no effort to move.

"Ya know, Renji…" I ran my hands up his chest teasingly. "I'm beginning to think that you like being on top of me…"

His eyes widened at my words, and he finally looked down to realize exactly where he was. His cheeks reddened slightly as his eyes snapped back up to meet mine. "Uh…"

I giggled at his reaction. "So… if I told you to 'take it off' then… what would you do?" And then I flipped us over so that I was on top, straddling his waist and leaning down so that he had a nice view of my cleavage.

He gulped, clearly nervous, but made no move to resist. In fact, his hands moved from my back to my hips.

I grinned down at him, wondering how I could use this situation as payback… I leaned further in, ghosting my lips over his neck to tease him. I could practically hear his heart beating as he struggled to maintain his breathing. "So, Renji?" I whispered into his ear. "Are you going to answer my question… or am I going to have to keep waiting for an answer?" I let my lips brush along the shell of his ear.

He gasped, and his fingers clutched tighter onto my hips. "That depends…" His voice was low and husky.

I was really just teasing him… making him all hot and bothered so that I could ruin his mood with something silly… like a wet willy or a punch to the gut… but his answer intrigued me… "Oh?" I ran my hands across his chest and abs. "Depends on what?"

He took a deep breath, pulling me closer as he prepared to answer…

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to sexually harass a lieutenant, but you are?!" Ichigo's voice broke through the air, shocking us both back into reality.

Renji immediately sat up, with me still on his lap. "Who said she's sexually harassing me, you pervert?!" He shouted back.

I shifted in his lap… did I just feel what I think I felt? Yeah… that was definitely a boner… and it was Renji's… and it was rubbing against a very sensitive area of mine… oh, hell…

"Well what else would you call it?!" Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"I'd call it none of your damn business!" Renji didn't attempt to stand up as he argued with Ichigo… and I definitely understood why.

"Well if it's none of my business then maybe you two should get a room!"

"Well maybe you should stop being such a creepy peeping tom!"

Fucking hell… had I actually been turned on just now? Renji sure as hell was… and if the moisture between my legs was any indication, then I was too… But jeez, it was just supposed to be a game! The payback game that we played! And I hadn't even gotten my payback! Dammit…

* * *

**Do you think that Chikaru will end up using her Bankai?**

* * *

**Satoberi, you'll find out more about her Zanpakuto eventually ;) And yep, it was Ichigo!**

**P.S. Ellie, it's cute, isn't it? :) And yeah, it was Ichigo! :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Bankai

**5 points to P.S. Ellie and 3 points to Satoberi!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Bankai

* * *

Eventually, Renji and Ichigo stopped arguing… And Renji's "problem" had calmed down without Ichigo noticing. So now we were wandering around looking for the others. It didn't take us long to find them. And luckily, everyone was alright.

And then, wouldn't you know it, the stupid, little, fucking girl showed up and started another game… five fucking minutes to save Chad before he was killed in a fucking sandglass. Gah, I was getting so fucking tired of these games!

I drew my Zanpakuto, ready to fight. "Prepare and pounce, Raiten!" I activated my Shikai, watching as the blade shifted into something much larger, changing to shape like a lightning bolt. I took aim at the sandglass, ignoring the men who had rushed down, and attacked. In Shikai form, my Zanpakuto was still made of steel, but it could zig-zag around obstacles and extend to hit my targets. I could manipulate the way it moved at will, which made it a very precise weapon. Just as it was about to make contact with the glass, a red orb appeared and absorbed my attack, somehow sending it back at me from behind. I realized that the same orb was able to absorb Renji's attacks, as well.

We battled the manipulative assholes, dealing with their weird ass attacks… and our time was up before we even knew it. Chad had sand up to his shoulders when the stupid little girl made another strange vortex appear. Renji told Ichigo to use his Bankai… but it failed… like it had before…

_"__Use me, Chikaru! Now!"_ Raiten demanded.

And this time, I realized that there was no other choice. Renji couldn't do anything because of the restrictions that had been placed on him… and apparently there was something wrong with Ichigo… I had to use my Bankai… whether I liked it or not.

"Alright, you idiots!" I yelled at Renji and Ichigo, who were standing beside me. "Get back!" I gripped onto my Zanpakuto, resolving to finish this. "And don't you bastards dare tell anyone about this." I took several deep breaths, ignoring everyone as they turned their attention toward me.

_"__Focus, Chikaru. You can't afford to lose control of my energy."_ Raiten lectured me, even as I prepared to call on him.

"Gather your strength and let the earth quake with your almighty power. Swiftly strike down those who would oppose us. Show your ferocity, Raiten!" As I spoke, clouds culminated in the sky and thunder shook the earth. Lightning struck the blade of my Zanpakuto, and it lost its physical form and became a raging lightning bolt. "Bankai!" I now held a giant, crackling lightning bolt attached to a hilt… fucking Kido.

_"__Don't lose focus!" _Raiten shouted dangerously.

I took a breath to steady myself, focusing on every opponent, as well as the sandglass. I gathered my strength, pouring it into my Zanpakuto. "Dendo Kou!" I shouted, directing my energy in the form of lightning. Several lightning bolts shot from my blade, following my will and striking down my targets.

As the enemy Mod Souls fell and the glass shattered, I released my Bankai, grateful that I had been able to control the damn thing. With a sigh, I sheathed my Zanpakuto, watching as Ichigo rushed forward to reach Chad. I moved to follow him, but Renji's hand on my shoulder stopped me. I looked back and met his gaze. It was strangely serious.

"You have Bankai?"

I sighed again. "Yeah… but no one is supposed to know… so could we keep it between us?"

He frowned slightly. "Yeah, but… I wanna talk more about this later."

I huffed, knowing that he wouldn't let it go, and pulled away as I followed after Ichigo.

* * *

I wanted to kill Urahara when I found out that he was the one behind all of those stupid fucking games… I had used my Bankai for nothing! And he thought that the whole damn thing was amusing! Training, my ass… Though we did get some useful information out of the process… Though I was pissed that the fact that I had Bankai was one of those pieces of information! Dammit!

Luckily… everyone forgot about my Bankai when Yoruichi showed up and said something about Bounts. And the next thing I knew, we were all gathered in Urahara's shop with him explaining it all to us... apparently, Bounts were some sort of immortal, soul sucking, death dealing things that were few and far between… hmm… and there was at least one of them running around Karakura Town… we were going to need to find and eliminate the thing…

There was some more discussion on the matter, but things finally quieted down when everyone left, taking the Mod Souls with them. I sighed, ready to sleep for the night. I went into my shared room and had just finished changing into my sleeping yukata when Renji walked in. I ignored him as I crawled into my bed and closed my eyes. I heard him shuffling about the room and I figured that he was just getting ready for bed. I had just started to doze off when he grabbed one of my buns and pulled me up into a sitting position.

"Ah-ow-stop-Renji!" I yelled out, trying to pry his hand outta my hair.

He glared at me as he sat across from me on my bed. "I told you that we'd be talking…"

I rolled my eyes, finally getting my bun outta his grasp. "There's nothing to talk about." I looked away from him, at the floor.

He grabbed my chin and leaned in, making me look at him. "You have Bankai."

"Yeah, so?"

"So, why are you hiding it?"

"Ugh." I groaned, pulling away from him and falling back onto the bed. "There are lots of reasons."

"Then tell me." He demanded, still not letting up.

I blew air through my closed lips, letting them flap obnoxiously. "For one thing… it's Kido."

"Pft." He moved to sit next to me and leaned against my headboard. "That's a stupid reason."

"Not when you're in the 11th Division!" I defended. "And you should know… you were part of our division once…"

"Yeah, and I still think it's a stupid reason." He gave me a pointed glare. "You shouldn't hide your power just because it can be used for something more than direct combat."

"That's exactly why I should hide it! It's an insult to my ability! If I can't fight with the sheer strength and skill required for direct combat, then what good am I?!" I slung my arm over my face, upset about the attributes of my Bankai.

Renji sighed as he pulled my arm back to look at me. "You _can_ fight with strength and skill… your direct combat abilities are amazing! Why else would Captain Kenpachi make you his 4th seat?"

I supposed that he had a point…

"But it wasn't direct combat that saved Chad and totally destroyed those Mod Souls..." He continued. "It was your power that got us out of that mess. I mean, even if it was a set up… those guys were kicking our asses until you did something about it."

I gave him a slight frown. He may have been right, but I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him so.

He rolled his eyes when he realized that I wasn't going to say anything. "So what are your other reasons?"

I huffed again. I figured I may as well tell him, so that maybe he'd keep my secret. "Well, another thing is… if anyone knows that I have Bankai, then I might get moved to another division… and I want to stay with Captain Kenpachi."

He nodded. "That makes sense…" He seemed lost in thought, and I wondered what he was thinking about. "So who all knows about your Bankai?"

"Only Shuuhei and Ikkaku… and now you, I guess…"

He nodded again, obviously still thinking. "So are there any other reasons?"

I shrugged. "None worth mentioning…"

He spent a few more moments lost in thought… and then he shifted in my bed so that he was lying beside me, got under my covers, and laid his head next to mine on my pillow.

I blinked, just to be sure that I was actually seeing things correctly. "Uh… Renji? What are you doing?"

His eyes were closed, but he grinned when I spoke. He slung his arm over my waist and rolled closer to me. His body was now partially covering mine, his legs tangled with mine, and his face buried in my neck. "What if I told you to 'take it off'?"

My eyes widened as I realized what he was doing. "Well I don't see why I should answer you… when you never answered me."

He chuckled, his breath fanning over my neck and shoulder. "Well I was gonna say… it depends on if you're trying to get payback or not."

I gasped. He knew?! I pulled away so that I could glare at him, earning a laugh. "Fine… do you want my answer?"

He gave me a skeptical look, but agreed nonetheless. "Yeah, I want your answer… since I gave you mine."

I grinned devilishly as I pushed him off of me and sat up on my knees. And then in one smooth movement I untied my yukata and pulled it off. I watched as his eyes went wide, his entire face turned red, and his nose started to bleed. I pushed him back onto the bed and hovered over him. "Like what you see, Renji?"

He gaped up at me, his fingers twitching, and I imagined that it took all of his willpower not to reach out and touch me. "What are you doing, Chikaru?" His words were breathy.

"What?" I teased him. "You said to take it off…"

He groaned, unable to take his eyes off of me… "This game is starting to suck."

"Oh." I giggled. "If you want sucking… I can do that, too." I winked playfully at him.

He tilted his head back, his hands finally reaching up to rest on my hips. "Don't start something that you're not gonna finish, Chikaru." He warned, his voice getting low with the threat.

"Ah, Renji…" I pressed my lips to his ear, relishing in the way his fingers clutched tighter onto me. I didn't even want to think about how amazing his skin felt on mine. "Don't be such a sore sport…" I let him move my body so that I was completely straddling him. I could feel his rock hard dick underneath me, poking at my warmth through the fabric of his yukata. I did my best to ignore it… but it was damn near impossible.

"I'm serious, Chikaru… keep it up and I just may finish this myself…" He was giving me a stern look, but his eyes were clouded with lust.

I ran my hand through his hair, watching as he closed his eyes and gripped my waist. Then I discreetly reached up and grabbed the pitcher of ice water from the table between our beds. I ran my hand down over his chest so that it wouldn't be obvious when I leaned back. And then I dumped the icy water all over him.

"Fucking hell!" He yelped as he jumped up from the bed.

I leapt away from him and burst out laughing, barely managing to put my yukata back on. He shook himself off, send drops of water flying throughout the room… he looked like a drenched puppy. I was laughing so hard that it hurt. He stopped to glare at me.

"That's one way to get a cold shower…" He grumbled.

I giggled, holding my stomach to try to keep in my fits of laughter. "That's payback, for ya!"

"I would've preferred ice cream to the face…" He mumbled unhappily, and I laughed all over again.

* * *

**Next chapter, Chikaru has a conversation with Raiten in her inner world… how do you think it goes?**

* * *

**Satoberi, hahaha! I'm glad that you're enjoying it! And you're right, she is stubborn… but she used it anyway, lol**

**P.S. Ellie, thank you! I'm glad that you liked it! And yes, she used it :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Checking In

**5 points to P.S. Ellie and Satoberi!**

* * *

Chapter 7: Checking In

* * *

I was in a damp grassland, surrounded by rocky plateaus. The sky was dark and rolling with thunder. The air was charged with electricity. A waterfall cascaded from the cliffs and sped off in a raging river. My inner world… I sighed. It wasn't unlike Raiten to pull me in here while I was sleeping. I turned around to see him leaping from a cliff, closing the distance between us.

He was always amazing to look at. He was a humanoid tiger, standing nearly ten feet tall. He had golden yellow fur with jet black, zig-zagged stripes. A wavy, violet mane adorned his head and trailed down to his mid-back. Dark blue wolf ears stood tall on his head. A monkey tail, the same blue as his ears, swung behind him. He had white sabertooth fangs and claws that glistened when they caught the light. His golden eyes were entrancing, but I knew that they turned the scariest of black when he was angry. He wore heavy, plated armor and a matching headband.

"Chikaru." His voice was gravelly and familiar. "We need to talk about the battle earlier today."

I rolled my eyes at him. "What about it?"

His eyes narrowed, showing me that he was in no mood for my usual immaturity. "For one, your constant hesitation to use my full power puts us both in danger. If that had been a real battle, you would be dead already." He lectured me sternly, clearly unhappy.

"Raiten… you know that I appreciate your lectures just as much as I appreciate the Kido involved with our Bankai… which is not at all." I lifted my chin to meet his glare, crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly.

"Stop acting like a child!" The thunder rumbled with the intensity of his voice.

If I knew any better, I would have been frightened… but I didn't, so I wasn't. "Stop lecturing me!"

He growled, and lightning cracked in the sky. "Chikaru, you brat. You need to learn to accept your power. We'll never be balanced if you keep rejecting me."

I huffed. "Well I've always been a bit unstable, so it's nothing that I'm not used to."

Then his golden eyes darkened… not quite black, but dark enough to make my body go rigid and my mind give its full attention. "I won't have you continuously acting like a child and ignoring my power." Then his voice lowered so that even the thunder quaked the earth in a silent manner as he spoke. "You of all people should know what happens when you cage a wild beast."

The hidden message was clear. Being caged… locked up and restrained… those were not fond memories. But that was how I had first discovered my potential. And I had wreaked death and destruction on the fools that had dared to keep me confined. I let out a sigh of resignation, making eye contact with my Zanpakuto. "What is it that you want, Raiten?"

His stiff posture relaxed and his eyes went back to their usual color. The thunder in the sky calmed and the earth stopped its shaking. "You've unleashed Bankai, and now you need to learn how to wield it properly. You are lucky that the spiritual pressure in the Human World differs from that in the Seireitei… otherwise, you could have harmed your allies as well as your enemies today."

I nodded. I had been surprised that I was able to contain that power at all… so that made sense. It was the same reason that Ichigo couldn't use his Bankai in the Human World... But… "Raiten, I still want to keep my Bankai a secret."

His dark lips pulled back into a frown, but he gave me a tense nod anyway. "That is your choice. But realize that secrecy is not the same as ignorance… I will allow our Bankai to be a secret, but I will no longer tolerate your ignorance and rejection of it."

I felt like a small child being scolded. "Alright. I can agree to that."

"That means that you need to train in order to control my power, Chikaru." He continued sternly. "So that if you ever need to use it again, you don't put yourself or others at risk. And besides…" He gave me a pointed look. "A swordsman is not a true swordsman unless he can use his weapon to the fullest of its ability."

Damn Raiten… he always made me feel so small. "Yeah, yeah…" I mumbled up at him.

* * *

I woke up to the sound of Renji's Soul Pager ringing. I glared at him through my one open eye as he answered it. He sounded professional and boring, so I ignored him and tried to go back to sleep… When he was finished with his conversation, he came to wake me up completely.

"Hey! Chikaru!" He shook me until I opened my eyes.

I groaned irritably. "What?"

"That was Captain Kuchiki… he said that Rukia got assigned to this town."

I rolled onto my back, stretching out my limbs. "So? It's not even morning yet…"

"Yeah, well, as the highest ranking Soul Reaper in this town, I have to make sure that she gets settled." He made a point to try to sound all lieutenant-like.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Captain Kuchiki told you to look after her, didn't he?"

His shoulders slumped. "Yeah…"

I laughed at him. "Alright, gimme a minute…"

He moved out of the way so that I could crawl out of the bed. I got dressed quickly, not missing the fact that he was watching me. I realized that he had already gotten dressed… probably before waking me up again. Then we both hopped into our annoying ass Gigais, which we had gotten some new and pretty cool looking clothes for, and left Urahara's shop as quietly as possible.

I pin pointed Rukia's energy at Ichigo's house, and Renji called her on our way there to let her know that we were coming. I was just about to hop through Ichigo's bedroom window when I saw Renji, still on the phone, go crashing through a window on the first floor. I face palmed before jumping through after him.

"You idiot!" I screeched at him. "This is the wrong fucking window!"

I didn't even look at him as I aimed a kick in his direction… and then I saw it… He was on the floor, in a mess of broken glass, and sitting on top of some strange man.

He rubbed his head in pain from my kick. "Jeez, that hurt…"

"Who the hell are you?!" The man's voice was muffled, due to the fact that he was kind of eating the floor…

"Oh, no! Daddy!"

I looked up from Renji and the human man to see two little girls. Ah, shit… Just then, Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, and Chad ran into the room. They all stared at the scene with sweat drops and twitching eyebrows. I only took a moment before I gathered my senses. I grabbed Renji by the collar and dragged him away, shoving past everyone and going up to Ichigo's room.

* * *

We found out that they had encountered a Bount… and I thought that they would have actually gathered some useful information… so, Renji and I got comfortable as we prepared to listen. Renji leaned against the wall and I laid my head in his lap. And then Ichigo started… by saying that the Bounts were "probably dangerous" along with some other useless nonsense. I closed my eyes while Renji yawned in boredom. Ichigo flinched and glared over at us.

"What are you, an idiot?" Renji drawled, and I braced for their argument. "You fought one for yourself, and after all of that… all you have to say about these Bounts is that they're 'probably dangerous'?"

Ichigo jumped to his feet and glowered down at Renji. "Why should I listen to you?! You don't even know the difference between a window and the front door!"

Renji leaned forward to meet his angry glare. "Don't change the subject! This isn't about me!"

Ichigo pressed his forehead down on Renji's. "I'm not changing anything, you dumbass!"

"Bullshit! You're changing the subject because you know that you're wrong and I'm right!" Renji pressed back against him.

Ichigo pounced on Renji as he continued to argue, but I was no longer listening, because I had been forced to evacuate Renji's lap. Renji fought back, irritating me even more… I had been comfy, dammit!

I grabbed the back of their heads and knocked them both together. "You jerks!"

This only turned their attention on me, and I got pulled into their fight. One of them started pulling on my buns while the other was trying to twist my arm behind my back. I kicked somebody in the chin while I bit down into someone's arm… and then we were in a full on brawl… fists, elbows, and even knees flying everywhere… It would have been worse if we hadn't been indoors. We didn't stop until we heard the room around us get quiet, and we all looked up to see everyone staring at us with exasperation. Renji had a hand pulling on Ichigo's face and the other pulling at his shirt. His legs were pinning down my lower body so that I couldn't lunge at him. I was using one arm to try and pry him off of me, while the other was grabbing onto Ichigo's leg. Ichigo was trying to kick me off of him while pulling me up by one of my buns. His other hand was trying to strangle Renji with his vest.

"Heh…" Ichigo chuckled, feigning innocence. "So did you guys figure something out?"

Rukia laughed lightly, nodding in response. "We're just gonna wing it."

* * *

Renji and I finally went back to Urahara's shop, and I managed to get some sleep. When I woke up, Renji had already left the room. I glanced at my Soul Pager, and figured that I might as well use the opportunity to contact the Soul Society… I wanted to call Shuuhei… but I figured that I should check in with my lieutenant first. I dialed the number and waited for her to pick up…

"Hello?! Lieutenant Yachiru, here!" Her voice rang out happily.

I smiled at just the sound of her. "Hey, lieutenant! It's Yasei Chikaru, 4th seat of the 11th division, reporting in."

"Oh, hey Honey!" She got even cheerier when she realized that it was me. "How's the Human World?!"

"Boring without you to pull pranks with…" I answered her with a grin.

"I know!" She giggled. "The pranks just aren't the same without you!"

I sighed. "Well… other than that, there's some weird stuff going on here…"

"Really? Like what?"

"There are these things called Bounts… have you ever heard of them?"

"Hmmm… can't say that I have."

"Well apparently they suck souls in order to keep themselves alive and immortal… or something…" I explained. "And usually they suck dead souls, but now they're killing humans for live souls…"

She gasped animatedly. "Well that's no good!"

"Yeah, and they've appeared in Karakura Town, so that's what Lieutenant Abarai and I are dealing with right now…"

"Hm. Well I'll have to tell Kenny about it and see what he thinks."

I felt relieved knowing that my captain would be aware of the situation. "Great. I'll give you another report when I know more."

"Okay! Be safe, Honey!"

And with that, the call was ended. I felt much better after talking to her… and it was funny, since I hadn't even realized that I was worried in the first place. But either way, Lieutenant Yachiru just had an amazing ability to lighten any situation. I nodded to myself and then dialed Shuuhei's number…

"Lieutenant Hisagi speaking." He answered formally.

"Hey Shuuhei!" I grinned as I imagined him all stiff and professional on the other side of the phone. "It's Chikaru."

"Chikaru. I've been waiting to hear from you." There was a smile in his voice now.

"Yeah, you won't believe everything that's been going on here… I swear, this town is fucking insane."

"And now that you're there, it's only all the more insane…" He teased me.

"Aw, come on, Shuuhei! I'm not that bad…"

"Of course you're not 'that bad' …you're much worse." He spoke playfully.

My stomach fluttered, and I felt silly for the reactions that I always got when I spoke to him… even when I couldn't see him. "Whatever…" I grumbled, pouting out my lip.

"Ah, don't pout, Chikaru."

"I'm not pouting!"

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Don't lie to me."

I huffed. "Fine…"

He chuckled, and it made me smile. "So when do you think you'll be coming back?"

"Why, ya miss me?" I taunted him on reflex.

"Of course I miss you." He answered smoothly, catching me off guard.

I forced myself to breathe so that I could answer him properly. "Well, we've run into something really weird… but hopefully we can figure it out and I'll be back soon."

"Okay… just stay out of trouble… alright, Chikaru?" He used his stern, concerned voice this time.

I smiled happily. "Of course, Shuuhei. I wouldn't want to get into any trouble when you're not here to get me out of it."

He chuckled again. "Really, Chikaru. Stay out of trouble and call me again when you can."

"Yes, sir!" I figured that I would appease him, but I still threw in the "sir" for some added humor.

* * *

**Next time, Chikaru and the others encounter a bount at the hospital… How do you think Chikaru will handle it?**

* * *

**P.S. Ellie, haha! Nice going! I guess those points mean a lot to you… lol! I'm glad you're enjoying the payback game… and yeah, I think that her Bankai and Raiten are both pretty awesome :D**

**Satoberi, I know! Right? Lol! And definitely right! They're both so badass and stubborn that they kinda clash. But I think it's cool :)**


	8. Chapter 8: The Hospital

**5 points to Satoberi and P.S. Ellie!**

* * *

Chapter 8: The Hospital

* * *

Later, Ichigo and his friends showed up and let us know that they had encountered more Bounts… and apparently, Uryuu had been taken by one of them. So now we were sitting around Urahara's table, and the atmosphere was grim…

We were all ready to leave and go look for him, but Urahara advised against it, making some very good points… we had no idea where to start looking, we couldn't split up because these Bounts could use that to their advantage, and whatever we did on impulse could be part of a trap that they were leading us into… So with a mixture of irritation and hopelessness, we all sat back down.

Except, when Ichigo sat back down… he farted… loudly… and we all looked at him like he was nuts. Well, I kind of wanted to laugh, but I restrained myself. And then the weird ass Mod Soul started hopping around, all happy and excited, because apparently it had been his whoopee cushion that had caused the noise… needless to say, Ichigo wasn't amused. And he proved it when he threw him out of the window. At this point, I couldn't help but laugh.

I mellowed back out when Urahara gathered our attention to explain something else… and I wasn't happy to learn that, apparently, Bounts could possibly create something to open a portal between the Human World and Hueco Mundo. It was pretty needless to say that the result would be a disaster. I felt a chill run down my spine when Urahara guessed that there was a fifty percent chance of this outcome. In fact, I think the whole room dropped down by several degrees.

The tension in the room was interrupted when Tessai came in and said that Uryuu had called.

* * *

We all rushed to some human hospital to find Uryuu in a private room, seemingly fine other than the fact that he was all bandaged up. After Ichigo's demanding questions, Uryuu explained what happened to him, and what the female Bount had told him…

It would seem that a group of them were devouring living souls in order to break the barrier between the two worlds, and she had taken living souls to try and gain the power to stop them. And then there was something about how a Quincy would decide the outcome…

It was strange… and I wondered if the woman could be trusted. In the end, we all decided that we would stay and make sure that Uryuu would be protected, just in case anyone tried to come after him again…

* * *

Uryuu was sleeping, and we were spread out in order to keep watch for anything suspicious… well, somewhat spread out… I was sitting at a table with Renji, Orihime, and Chad… and apparently I wasn't the only one that was skeptical about the female Bount's story… and basically the whole situation in general.

But either way, it was our duty to make sure that the humans were kept safe and that any threats were exterminated. So, time ticked by. At some point, Orihime dozed off on my shoulder, mumbling about a nap. I smiled and shifted so that she'd be more comfortable.

Renji let out a loud sigh. "Nothing's happening…"

Chad looked around the room as he answered. "And I hope, for all of our sakes, that it stays that way…"

It was silent for a while longer… so much so that I had started to drift off, cuddling with Orihime. I was dreaming of a world made of fluffy marshmallows… yummy, fluffy marshmallows… and then all of the marshmallows caught on fire. I lurched up to hear a familiar yelling, and I glared in the direction that it was coming from.

Orihime rubbed her eyes sleepily. "What's going on?"

Renji groaned and grabbed my wrist. "Come on."

I let him drag me back to Uryuu's room, where we saw Ichigo and Rukia fighting… and the sink was flooding. I handed Renji a bucket and he went over to catch the falling water. I followed behind him so that I could glare at the two who had woken me… and set my precious marshmallows on fire.

Ichigo looked at us in surprise. "When did you two get here?"

Renji rolled his eyes. "You guys were making so much noise that we could hear you all the way down the hall."

I pointed my finger accusingly. "You set my marshmallows on fire, dammit!"

Both Ichigo and Rukia tilted their heads, trying to figure out what I was talking about.

Renji sighed. "You woke her up."

Orihime stepped in out of nowhere with a huge tub. "Do you guys think that this will work?"

"Wow…" Renji stared at her. "That's kinda big, isn't it?"

Orihime just smiled, clearly still half asleep.

I took the tub from her and placed it under the sink… our bucket was already full, anyway. "What the hell is with this thing?!" I yelled at the faucet.

"It just won't stop running…" Ichigo grumbled.

"It's pretty obvious… it's broken." Chad's deep voice came from behind us. When had he gotten in here?

I growled. "I'll break the damn thing…" I made a move to attack it, with the full intent on ripping it from the wall, but Renji grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back.

"Oh, no you don't." He muttered as he pulled me back into his chest.

"Down, killer!" Ichigo spluttered out, almost panicked that I had nearly destroyed the entire sink.

"Maybe I should call down to the nurses' station… It will flood the whole room at this rate." Orihime thought out loud.

"Or I could just kill it…" I growled out, still mildly struggling in Renji's hold.

Renji tightened his grip. "Jeez… what part of 'no' don't you understand?"

"Every part!" I yelled out. I really hated to be told no…

"Hey, what's that sound?" Orihime got all of our attention. And then she opened a door and a shit load of water came rushing into the room.

"What the hell?!" Ichigo landed on his ass, him and Orihime both getting soaked.

Orihime leaned forward to investigate. "It's even worse in here…"

"Just what the hell is wrong with this place?" Ichigo murmured as he stood to his feet.

"Let's just burn it down." It seemed like the perfect solution to me.

Renji sighed, his breath fanning down my ear and neck. "So you're a pyro-maniac now?"

I grinned up at him. "I'm every kind of maniac."

"The water won't stop in here, either!" Orihime called out.

"I'm gonna go get some towels." Rukia hurried to find a solution.

"This hospital sucks." I grumbled.

"Heh. Yeah, this hospital may look nice, but underneath it's just a piece of shit." Renji agreed with me.

Uryuu suddenly growled and jumped up from the blankets. "Would you all just shut up?!"

"Why are _you_ awake?! You need to focus on sleeping!" Ichigo lectured him.

I laughed. "Easier said than done. Orihime and I got woken up and we were all the way down the hall… and it's worse when we're all together yelling in the same room." I stuck my tongue out at him.

Rukia smiled sheepishly. "She has a point…"

Then, before anything else could be said, it was like the water came to life… and it started flying around the room. It focused on Uryuu, trying to drown him. Ichigo was able to stop it, but the water was still moving. I was pulled out of the room by Renji as everyone ran out, and Rukia slammed the door shut behind us. We ran down the hall, but water kept spouting out from everywhere. Our Zanpakuto were enough to disperse the attacks, but the water was always able to reform and move again. At some point, it captured Uryuu and Chad both, since he was riding on his back. We kept attacking, but as much as we cut the damn thing, it kept reforming… until Rukia used a Hado attack to destroy it.

We had a hell of a time finding our way out of the hospital… because we kept running into dead ends, getting lost, and such. At some point, there were two strange boys waiting for us. So these were Bounts… they summoned their dolls, which were giant water monsters, of course… And I prepared to attack. But Ichigo said run and everyone ran. I didn't wanna, but of course Renji pulled me along. Ugh. Why was he in charge, again?! Damn him for being a higher rank…

"I don't wanna run! I wanna fight!" I screeched.

"We can't fight with Uryuu injured like this!" Ichigo argued back.

I growled as I listened to them talking to the Mod Souls, trying to come up with a strategy. Though apparently, they were useless in their stuffed animal bodies. We finally made it to the elevators, but the damn things were filled with water… so the big solution was to go running again. Ugh. Renji pushed me behind him when he and Rukia stopped to perform Hado again… pft. And this time it didn't even stop the damn water monster.

"We need more fire power!" Rukia cried out.

Renji turned to face me. "Use your Bankai!"

I glared at him. "You fucking idiot!"

"What, it's an emergency!" He glared back.

I felt my eye twitching. "Yeah… let me just use a shit load of lightning when we're all fucking _soaked_! Jeez! Something like that could get us all killed!" I stomped my foot and shouted up into his face.

A sweat drop formed on the side of his face. "Oh, yeah…"

I let out an irritated sigh.

But before we could argue anymore, Ichigo caused some sort of explosion.

"What the fuck?!" I screamed, shielding myself from the blast.

Renji was quick to grab me and pull me down, protecting me with his own body. Why did he always seem to do that? I guessed it was a lieutenant thing… When the debris stopped flying, he gave me a once over before nodding to himself, seemingly satisfied. There was a strange smoke in the air that made it hard to breathe.

Renji stood back up and grabbed Ichigo by the collar. "You idiot! You almost cooked us all with that stupid move!"

"Well at least I wasn't trying to get us all electrocuted! You bigger idiot!" Ichigo snapped back, grabbing back at Renji's collar.

Renji blanched for a moment before thinking of a comeback. "Well at least I didn't actually do it and nearly kill us!"

"Well you almost did!"

"Well you did nearly kill us!"

I dusted myself off… their arguments barely even made sense anymore. After the smoke cleared, we managed to get Uryuu, Chad, Orihime, Rukia, and the Mod Souls onto the elevator. Renji, Ichigo, and I stayed behind to fight the Bounts so that they could escape. When they had safely made it out, Ichigo slashed the elevator doors so that we could just jump down the empty shaft.

"Let's go!" Ichigo shouted as he pulled me towards the gaping pit.

"Here's something to remember us by!" Renji blasted one more Hado to cover us.

And then we all jumped down. It made my stomach leap into my throat, but it was freaking fun! I started laughing maniacally with my excitement. When I heard the boys screaming in terror, I started laughing harder. But when we landed in a big heap… it was less fun… because I was trapped between Ichigo and Renji.

Ichigo leapt up, shoving Renji off of us, and held me in his lap, making sure that I was alright.

I rubbed my sore head from where I had hit it on a rock or something… or had I hit it on Ichigo's head? Ouch… "Everyone alive?" I grumbled.

"Yeah. You alright?" Ichigo was rubbing his head, too.

I nodded back at him before looking at Renji, who huffed while he nodded.

"Do me a favor…" Ichigo drew our attention. "Don't ever let me do that again."

I giggled at the pained look on his face.

* * *

**In the next chapter, the actual battle begins. How do you think Chikaru will do against Ho and Ban?**

* * *

**Satoberi, he really is! And yeah, well… she tried to anyway… lol :)**

**P.S. Ellie, haha! Well 'grats 'cause there's 5 more points for you ;D**


	9. Chapter 9: Water in Excess

**5 points to Satoberi!**

**3 points to P.S. Ellie!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Water in Excess

* * *

We made our way outside to find everyone there, safe and sound… except, it was raining. We all sort of just stared… watching the rain drench the entire city, wandering what our next move should be… when the stuffed lion started going all bat shit crazy.

It screamed as it jumped in front of us. "This could be a disaster!" It wailed, waving its arms frantically.

"What is it Kon?" Orihime asked it, a mixture of confused and worried.

"I know what's going on here! I just realized something terrible is happening!" It continued to wail, without really giving any explanation.

"Kon, settle down!" Ichigo tried to calm the frantic creature. "What's wrong?"

We all waited to hear what the stuffed animal had to say…

"The only explanation for this is that there's a rain-man involved!" It finally explained… sort of. "A rain-man, right here among us! And-"

Before it could say anything else, senseless or otherwise, Ichigo stomped on it, planting it face first into the ground as he dug his heel into the back of its head. "Your damn superstitions are not helping!" He growled out.

Renji, feeling particularly paranoid, leaned in to Ichigo. "Just so you know, I am _not_ a rain-man."

Ichigo gave him an exasperated glare. "Don't even say that, you'll only encourage him."

I burst into a fit of giggles. "Renji, what even is a rain-man?"

"I don't know. But I'm definitely not one." He crossed his arms and nodded his head confidently.

Ichigo finally stepped back off of the now squished creature. "Will all of you just shut up?"

"Aww…" The strange little animal wandered over to me, since I seemed to be closest, other than Ichigo and Renji. "But… you believe me, don't you?" It whined as it pulled on my leg. "You beautiful… voluptuous…"

I glared down at the thing, ready to kick it into the wall nearby, but then it started screaming again.

"Ahhh!" It shouted obnoxiously, facing the rain again.

"Just give it up, would ya?" Ichigo sighed, not even bothering to humor it this time.

But it pointed out into the rain, still panicking. "It's for real this time! Look!"

Every one of us looked out into the rain filled night, looking for whatever had startled the little Mod Soul. And there it was… the two Dolls from earlier, forming from the water that was pooling in the street.

"I told you!" It sounded terrified as it stayed pointing, shaking as it stood in front of us.

"Sure is a nice rain tonight." "The conditions are perfect." The sound of the Bounts' voices filled the air. "We told you before, but it seems that you've forgotten." "You can't escape from water."

I could hear the annoying Mod Soul shouting at the other Mod Souls for being useless, but my attention was focused on our enemies. Ichigo cursed from beside me, frustrated with the situation. I was trying to figure out how we were going to fight them… their Dolls were so fucking annoying.

"Don't you think it's time we finish them off?" "Yes, that's a good idea." The arrogant smiles on their faces just made them even more annoying. "Let's do it!" They shouted together as they combined their Dolls, making a huge water monster that was ready to attack.

"Oh no! They've combined!" Orihime exclaimed in worry.

"Now they're more than twice as big…" Chad concluded, also worried.

"So now what?" Rukia asked, focused on the enemy ahead.

I sighed. I would like to know the same damn thing.

"Chad and Orihime, take Uryu and get him away from here." Ichigo demanded. It may not have been a plan of attack, but defending his friends was certainly important.

As they ran away, taking some of the Mod Souls with them, the rest of us charged the water Dolls, just as they were using their combined strength to attack. Our Zanpakuto were enough to disperse the attacks, but they didn't inflict any real damage… since the Dolls could always use water to reform. Rukia used Hado, which did a greater portion of damage, but the damn thing still kept reforming. I was racing back in for another attack, looking for any weakness, when I heard Renji scream.

"Renji!" I shouted his name in reflex, turning my attention toward him.

Both he and Ichigo were being swallowed up by the water, locked inside so that they couldn't breathe. I panicked, rushing toward them. I could hear them both yelling from inside of the water.

"Renji!" I shouted again, swinging Raiten down, hoping that it was enough to break them free.

My attack made contact, but the water immediately reformed around them. And before I could make another slash, I felt the water wrapping around me. I writhed and fought against it, but it was like fighting the fucking ocean… absolutely pointless. I was wasting energy with my thrashing. I needed to figure out a way to overcome this.

We were all struggling… even Rukia had been caught up in the water. But every time we made an opening, either with Zanpakuto or Hado, it was immediately sealed back up. I even noticed that Ichigo was able to swim to the surface of the Doll once, but he was quickly pulled back in. At least we were able to catch a breath every now and then… and then… the water just burst around us and we landed on the ground.

"What happened?" Renji asked, looking around suspiciously. "That thing suddenly cracked open."

"It came apart as soon as those Bount twins took off!" The squeaky, bird Mod Soul answered. "'Cause now, they're more interested in catching Uryu."

"Uh-oh." I was trying to wring the water out of my clothes, but that caught my attention.

"Damn." Ichigo grumbled.

And then we were all running off after them.

* * *

"One thing about those twins…" Ichigo spoke as we all sprinted to save Uryu.

"What?" Rukia prompted him to continue.

"They never attacked us separately." He finished his thought.

"Yeah, you're right about that." Renji agreed as he thought back and realized the same thing.

I rolled my eyes. "Jeez, this is a boring conversation..."

"Well I think it's because the only way they can control both their Dolls, is by keeping their powers combined together." Ichigo formed his theory.

"So they're using that resonance phenomenon that twins are said to possess." Rukia rationalized, sounding all nerdy when she talked about phenomena and shit.

"That explains why they always combine into one water Doll, and not into separate ones." Renji made more sense of it.

"If we're right about this, then getting them separated is how we win." Ichigo concluded.

I grinned. "That's all I need to know, then." All the rest aside, I really didn't care… I just wanted to know how to kick their asses.

* * *

We arrived to see Uryu in the Doll's grip, nearly being crushed. Chad was trying to stop the Bounts, but they were threatening to harm Uryu further if he interfered. Orihime looked drenched, like she had already been tossed aside by the Doll.

"Chad!" Ichigo shouted as soon as he was in sight. "Orihime!"

Renji, Rukia, and I were right with him.

"They have Uryu!" Rukia yelled as she observed the situation.

"Then we must be too late." Renji grunted in frustration.

I elbowed him in his side. "We're here before they took him. We're not too late."

Ichigo directed his attention to the Bounts. "You two. Put him down right now!"

"Why should we? And besides, if you guys had any brains…" "…you'd all be running away right now while you still had half a chance."

"What did you say?!" Ichigo shouted angrily.

"Just wait until you see Guhl and Gunther's full abilities. Then we'll see if you still feel that way." "Guhl and Gunther can't wait. They say they're just dying to kill you all."

And then the damn Doll attacked again. But this time, the water attacks were small, so there wasn't much need to disperse them. I tried to dodge, but one of them came after me, and I realized that there was one for each of us. It came for my face, trying to force its way into my mouth. I tried to fight it away, but it was so pressurized and so fucking persistent. I held my breath, trying not to gag on the intrusive water. But it was managed to fight its way in.

I struggled to stay standing, feeling the water squirming inside of me. It was in my lungs… my other organs… everything… and damn, it fucking hurt. I couldn't cough. I couldn't breathe. It was all I could do to stay standing. It felt like my insides were being torn apart… shredded by the spreading water. I could feel it raking through my muscles… my veins… everything! Everything fucking hurt!

I heard the Mod Souls panicking, and the Bounts laughing in response. I could barely hear over the pounding in my ears… and the agony of whatever was really happening to me. I managed to hear enough to realize that the Bounts were using the water in our bodies to tear us apart… which was exactly what it felt like was happening.

_"__Chikaru!" _

I heard Raiten shouting in my head. But the pain was so much that it was hard to focus on his voice.

_"__Dammit, Chikaru. You have to listen to me!"_

I did my best to hear him over the throbbing of my agony…

_"__Use what strength you have left for Bankai. It's your only hope."_

_"__I… I c-cant…"_ It took every bit of strength that I had just to answer him.

_"__It will be painful, Chikaru. But you have to do it. You have to survive this!" _He was persistent, as always.

_"__That water… it would kill me…"_ I tried to reason, but I was in so much pain.

_"__You'll need to control it… use just enough to chase the excess water from your body. And the others too… If you use too much, you may kill them. So control it, Chikaru. Control it or you will all die!"_ He sounded urgent, growing more severe with each passing second… each, grueling, agonizing second…

With a terrible groan, I picked my Zanpakuto off of the ground, wondering when I had dropped it. I also wondered when I had stopped standing… when I had fallen to this face down position… But pushing that aside, I gripped Raiten by the hilt and focused my energy as best as I could. I could feel it coursing through me, only adding to the sensational pain. With a hell of a lot of effort, I scraped my body up until I was sitting on my knees. I still couldn't breathe, so a focusing breath was out of the question. With one more thought for my will to live, I grabbed the hilt with my other hand.

"Bankai."

The next several moments were all a blur. I hadn't used the chant before the call, so my strength and control were limited. Bad move… but I was severely incapacitated, so really, it was a wonder that I had managed to activate it at all. The lightning struck down from the sky and hit my blade, nearly knocking it from my hand with the force. As the blade became lightning, I lost control, unable to balance the Kido and keep its form. The lightning bolt of my blade simply combusted… sending bolts out in all directions. When one of them hit me, I dropped my Zanpakuto, effectively disrupting the Bankai. And if I thought that I had been in agony before, well… ouch… The lightning poured through me, and I could hear myself screaming. I was fairly certain that I even smelled my own flesh burning. But it was over rather quickly, thankfully. And I collapsed in a heap.

_"__You're alive…"_ Raiten assured. _"Though barely."_ He grunted as an afterthought, seeming to disapprove of my careless methods.

I scowled. It was his fucking idea.

Just as I was about to pass out, the black dots closing in around my vision… I was grabbed up by a pair of hands, lifted into a sturdy pair of arms, and held to a firm chest. I blinked the dots away and stared into the warm, brown eyes above me. He sighed in relief.

"You're alright…" Renji smiled, seeming injured, but well enough. "Dammit, Chikaru… I thought that you had killed yourself doing that." He grumbled irritably, but he was still smiling.

I returned his smile, still somewhat dazed. "Yeah… it was a close one, huh?"

He rolled his brown eyes at me before glaring down into my golden gaze. "Don't ever do anything that stupid again. Okay?"

I laughed, nuzzling my face into his chest. "Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

**In the next chapter, Chikaru makes a call to the Soul Society. Who do you think she'll talk to?**

* * *

**Satoberi, oh, the marshmallows! Lol. And yep, she did have to worry about hurting everyone, but she managed.**

**P.S. Ellie, haha, I know! He really didn't think that through. And it was difficult, but she used her Bankai anyway… lol**


	10. Chapter 10: Crazy Phone Calls

**5 points to P.S. Ellie and Satoberi!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Crazy Phone Calls

* * *

I managed to stay awake in Renji's arms long enough to see the battle end. Ichigo had instructed the teleportation Mod Soul to keep the Bounts separated, and sure enough, his plan had worked. It was kind of funny… watching them yell and run around frantically as they tried to reunite. Eventually, the Mod Soul teleported one of them over the edge of a drop off and he fell unconscious, rendering them both useless. Ichigo used that opportunity to retrieve Uryu, and Chad made sure that he stayed safe.

The remaining Bount tried to fight alone, but some strange characters arrived… Ganju, a thug from the Rukongai, and Hanataro, a Soul Reaper from the 4th Division. Ganju used some sort of firework bomb to destroy the Doll… which resulted in the death of the Bounts. They aged instantly and turned to dust… apparently unable to survive without their Dolls.

"Whoa… where did they go?" Ichigo marveled at the sight.

"Their bodies just turned to dust." Renji thought that was a well enough answer.

"Even though they look like children, they were probably very old and well past their limits. As a result, once their Dolls were lost to them, there was nothing left at all to hold them together." Rukia explained, having assessed the situation.

I shrugged, still content in Renji's arms. "So we either need to kill the Bounts or their Dolls… that's useful information."

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted suddenly, storming over to Renji and me… well, more so, to me. "I have a bone to pick with you!" He pointed at me in accusation.

I just grinned widely and pointed back at him. "What, you wanna thank me for saving your ass?"

He huffed, flabbergasted, before regaining his angry composure. "No! I wanna kick your ass for hitting me with a lightning bolt!"

"To be fair… she hit herself with a lightning bolt… and then it spread out of her and hit the rest of us." Rukia reasoned calmly.

"Well, whatever the shit it was, it almost killed us all!" Ichigo ranted, still glowering at me.

"She saved our lives, you idiot! And nearly sacrificed herself to do so!" Renji shouted back at him, his hands tightening their grip on me.

"It's true, we should be thanking her…" Rukia interceded.

I shrugged again. "Actually… I didn't mean to zap myself… I kinda lost control of my Bankai and it just worked out that way." I gave them all an impish smile, scratching the back of my head.

"What?!" Renji and Ichigo shouted together.

Rukia and the others just deadpanned.

"I knew it! You really _could_ have killed us all!" Ichigo started ranting again.

"Dammit, Chikaru! What if you had died?!" Renji was also angry now.

"Relax, you guys…" I grumbled. "It all worked out… we all survived, right?"

"Barely!" The two of them shouted together again.

Renji let out a heavy, exasperated sigh. "Look at yourself… you're injured from your own damn Bankai."

"We all suffered from electrocution… and you got the worst of it. What if you had fried your brains or something?" Ichigo backed him up.

I rolled my eyes at them. "Quit being so dramatic."

"Uhh… guys." Orihime interrupted our argument.

"What is it Orihime?" Rukia asked her curiously.

"Where's Uryu?" Orihime was looking around frantically. "He's gone!"

I looked around, also confirming the information. "Dammit! After all of this shit to protect him, he just runs off?!"

"Dammit, Uryu!" Ichigo growled out angrily.

And then the search was on.

* * *

The others set out to look for Uryu while Renji took me back to Urahara's. On our way, I had sensed a familiar presence… but I hadn't mentioned it to Renji. I thought that I had sensed it earlier, but now I was certain. I needed to report it into my captain.

"Here. You rest and I'll go see if there's anything for us to eat." Renji instructed as he laid me down onto my temporary bed in our shared room.

I smiled at him. "Thanks, Renji."

A slight dusting of red blushed across his cheek bones. "You're welcome."

I struggled not to giggle at the sight. "Ya know…" I whispered silkily. "You could just rest with me…" I scooted over in the bed, making room for him.

His blush grew darker as he glared at me. "Now is not the time for your antics, Chikaru!" He lectured me. "Now settle down so that you can recover." He grumbled under his breath as he walked out of the door.

I laughed as I watched him go. And as soon as he was out of ear shot, I took out my Soul Pager. I dialed my lieutenant's number, waiting anxiously for her to answer. When the other end picked up, I could hear a lot of racket… fighting, arguing, crashing…

"Jeez, will you shut the hell up!" A male voice shouted before speaking normally. "Hello?"

I lifted a brow. "Ikkaku?" What the hell was he doing answering this line? "Where's Lieutenant Yachiru?"

"She disappeared! Left her fucking Soul Pager here with me… probably running around pulling some stupid prank." He grumbled, obviously irritated.

"Awww…" I whined. "She's pulling pranks without me?"

"Yes, and it's fucking annoying! She's been harassing me to go with her because she misses you so damn much. And since no one else will go with her, she's been pranking all of us." He growled out, probably having just been on the receiving end of a prank.

I laughed hysterically. "Aw, man! I can't believe that she's pranking you guys without me!"

"If you were part of her fucking pranks then I would tear those fucking buns off of your head, Chikaru!" He threatened lividly.

"Okay, okay!" I laughed, not at all intimidated. "Seriously, though. I called to make a report."

"Then spit it out."

"Fine. Bounts die when their Dolls die. Oh, and I've been sensing Ichinose Maki here in the Human World. I haven't seen him face to face, but I'm certain that he's here."

"Seriously. What the hell?" He sounded instantly interested in what I had to say. "Harimaki!" He shouted suddenly. "I need a confirmation on some spiritual pressure!"

I winced as his voice pierced through my ear drum. "Jeez, Ikkaku! Give me some warning before you go shouting like that!" I yelled into my Soul Pager.

"Dammit, Chikaru! That hurt my ear!" He yelled back.

"Well you hurt my ear first!"

He growled irritably. And then he took a breath. "You're in Karakura Town, right? That's where you're sensing him?"

I nodded, even though he couldn't see. "At least near here, yes. For some reason, I can't seem to pinpoint his location… he's surrounded by some strange… fuzzy… things…" I couldn't really explain the sensations that I felt while trying to focus in on his spiritual pressure.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He grumbled.

"I don't know!" I answered. "But that's my report."

"Right." He rolled his eyes, I just knew it. "I'll put in your official report that you feel strange, fuzzy things…"

I growled at him. "You know what I fucking mean."

"No, I don't! Because you're fucking crazy, Chikaru!"

"Well so are you!"

We both spent some time trying to calm ourselves with breathing.

"Do you know what he's doing there?"

"Not at all." I answered, smiling aloofly.

"Jeez, you're useless…" He grumbled.

"Just like your bald head." I snapped back.

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me!"

We both growled at each other this time until we eventually quieted down.

"Anyway." He continued. "I'll have the spiritual pressure confirmed and then report to Captain Kenpachi."

"Mmkay." I conceded, realizing that we were done with our shouting match.

"Hey. Chikaru." He spoke again, sounding calmer now.

"Yeah?" I asked curiously.

"Hurry up with your stupid mission and get back here so I can kick your ass, okay?" He grumbled quietly.

I smiled. I knew that was code for 'I miss you.' "Yeah… I'm in a hurry to kick your ass, too."

And then the call ended.

"Jeez…" Renji grumbled as he walked back into the room, carrying a tray of food. "I leave you in here to rest and I hear you shouting all the way down the hall…"

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well…"

"Just who the hell were you arguing with?" He asked as he set the tray down on the small table.

I shrugged. "Ikkaku." It was a simple answer.

"That explains it." He rolled his eyes. He handed me a plate and pulled out his own Soul Pager. "Now that I think about it, I should make my report, too…"

* * *

We had gone to sleep after eating, without much event. In the morning, we heard from Urahara that the others had still not found Uryu. I wanted to go and look, but Renji demanded that I spend the day recuperating. I tried to insist that I was fine, but he wouldn't hear it. It was a waste, really… I had already recovered… mostly… and he was being far too conservative. But he was the higher ranked among us, so I had to follow his orders while here.

I was disturbed by the sound of my Soul Pager ringing. Surprised, I quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"No, you bastard, it's my turn to talk to her!" Yumichika's voice sounded from the other side.

"She doesn't wanna talk to you!" Ikkaku's voice also sounded.

"You talked to her last time!" Yumichika shouted back at him.

"I don't care! It's _my_ Soul Pager!" Ikkaku fought back.

I could hear the Soul Pager being tossed around, the atmosphere filled with the sound of their fighting… I waited impatiently for them to come to a resolution. "Will one of you just talk to me, dammit?!"

"Chikaru!" They both shouted into the Soul Pager.

"Just put it on speaker!" I shouted back. After a lot of button pressing and some more struggling, I could now clearly hear both of them. "What do you guys want?"

"I called to let you know what happened when we told captain about Ichinose." Ikkaku explained.

I sighed. "And?"

"He said to just leave him alone… he doesn't want us to interfere with him." He answered seriously.

I nodded to myself. "I understand." I knew that captain was not the sentimental type, but he did hold a certain amount of respect for a person's choices.

"Chikaru! What the hell is taking you so long over there?! Why haven't you come back yet?!" Yumichika griped at me.

I felt my eyes narrow. "There's a lot of shit going on here… like Bounts and Dolls and other strange stuff… I've gotta get it handled."

"Well hurry the hell up…" Yumichika complained. "I have some new ideas for your hair and I want to try them out."

I snorted. "As if I would ever let you near my hair."

"Just let me fix it, Chikaru!" He shouted passionately, probably gripping his brush as he spoke.

Ikkaku laughed. "He's never gonna let it go."

"Yeah well I like my buns, dammit! And I'm never gonna let _them_ go!" I yelled stubbornly.

Renji walked back into the room then, eyeing me skeptically as I yelled into my Soul Pager. "Who are you talking to?"

"Ikkaku and Yumichika." I answered simply.

"Hey! Tell that useless redhead that he better not let you get your ass kicked before I can kick it myself!" Ikkaku shouted when he heard me, his voice clearly ringing through the air.

With a sigh, I put them on speaker so that Renji could answer.

Renji rolled his eyes. "I'm taking care of her, don't worry." He was fluent in 11th Division language, and knew very well that's what Ikkaku meant.

"I don't need taking care of." I grumbled.

"Yes you do." Shuuhei's voice suddenly rang out above all of the others.

My heart fluttered in my chest. I did my best to ignore it. "Shuuhei…" I smiled. "What are you doing?"

Rangiku was the one to answer. "Shuuhei and I just got out of a really awful meeting… so we came to get the boys for a drink!"

"But hearing your voice is a pleasant surprise." Shuuhei continued, and I could hear that he was smiling.

"Yeah! Hurry back, Chi-chan! I miss you!" Rangiku giggled into the Soul Pager.

"Hey! What about me!" Renji shouted.

"Oh, yeah…" She mumbled. "I guess I miss you too…"

I laughed at the scowling face that Renji made.

"All of you back off! I called Chikaru so _I_ get to talk to her!" Ikkaku shouted, followed by a huge crash.

"Are you still doing well?" Shuuhei spoke into the Soul Pager again, presumably having stolen it from Ikkaku.

I grinned widely, nodding my head. "Yep. Hopefully we'll finish things up here soon and we can come back to the Seireitei… but there's some really fucked up shit going on, so I don't know." I really wished that I could see them all… but talking to them was a nice surprise.

"Just stay safe. No reckless acts, alright?" He spoke sternly, yet still retained his warmth.

I resisted the urge to bite my lip. "Yeah, I know."

"Tch." Renji snorted from the opposite side of the room. "You should tell him about the shit you pulled last night."

I gaped at him, horrified that he was practically tattling on me.

"What is he talking about?" Shuuhei demanded immediately.

I glared at Renji, wanting to scratch the proud smirk off of his face. "Nothing, Shuuhei… he's just mad that I'm the one that saved us from a sticky situation."

"Ha!" Renji scoffed, almost laughing at me. "What really happened is sh-"

I leapt across the room, pouncing on Renji and covering his mouth with one hand. I held the Soul Pager in my other hand so that I could wrap up the conversation with Shuuhei. "Okay, Shuuhei, I gotta go now! I'll talk to you later! Okay?! Bye!" I hung up the Soul Pager and tossed it to the side before proceeding to strangle Renji.

* * *

**In the next chapter, Chikaru makes a suggestion for her and Renji to pass the time… what do you think it will be?**

* * *

**P.S. Ellie, aww, thank you! She is pretty awesome, isn't she? :D Of course she would have to be, being in the 11****th**** Division and all ;) And yes, she certainly is fond of Shuuhei :)**

**Satoberi, yep, he does tend to take care of her :) And of course!**

**meangirl8, I update when I can. Hope that you enjoyed the new chapter!**

**Suzume Amai, I'm glad that you enjoy my story. Thanks for your review :)**

**Zombiesunshineyura, thank you! I'm glad that you think so! :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Gloom and Doom

**5 points to Satoberi and P.S. Ellie!**

* * *

Chapter 11: Gloom and Doom

* * *

"Come on, Renji! Let's go help the others look for Uryuu!" I whined, trying to push him off of me.

He was holding me down to try and force me to rest, his body on top of mine and his hands pinning my wrists down to the mattress. "No, Chikaru! You need more time to recover!"

A whole day had nearly passed and I was growing restless. "But Renji!" I cried desperately. "If you won't let us go then at least give me something to do!"

"That would defeat the whole purpose of keeping you here!" He grumbled loudly. "You need to rest."

"But I don't wanna!" I argued back childishly.

"Chikaru…" He growled my name, sitting up from his position on top of me so that he was now straddling my waist. "Your spiritual pressure literally erupted out of your control and backfired on you. It takes time to recover from that."

I groaned as I glared up at him, but I stopped struggling. "But Renji…"

"But nothing." He snapped, still keeping a firm grasp on my wrists and returning my glare with one of his own. He was actually kinda cute like that… brown eyes all heated in frustration and tattooed face puckered with his glare.

Then I sighed, defeated, and finally relaxed underneath him. "We have to at least do _something_ to pass the time…"

He arched a brow, looking at me skeptically. "Like what?"

I grinned with the possibilities. "Well…"

Before I could even voice any of my ideas, Renji interrupted. "I don't like that look in your eyes."

I giggled. "What look?"

"That mischievous look." He explained as his own eyes narrowed at me. "The one that looks like you're up to something."

I grinned, adding to my mischievous look. "Maybe I _am_ up to something…"

"Well I don't like it." He grumbled.

I pouted playfully up at him. "Well how do you know that you don't like it? You don't even know what it is."

"That's exactly why I don't like it." His eyes narrowed even further.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Aww, come on, Renji! Play along!"

"Every time I _play along_ with you, something stupid happens." He grunted, his grip on my wrists finally loosening.

"Well…" I sat up, tentatively placing my hands on his chest. "This time it will be fun for both of us… and nothing 'stupid' will happen."

His breath caught in his throat and his body tensed beneath my touch. "So what exactly do you have in mind?" He mumbled quietly.

"Just a fun way to pass the time…" I mumbled, leaning in to press my lips to his neck.

He tensed even more, practically shaking now. "Chikaru… I don't fucking trust you."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I know. I'm such a tease." I pulled his at his clothes, exposing his chest as I trailed heated kisses down his warm skin.

"Dammit, Chikaru…" He groaned, sound partly aroused and partly frustrated.

I had successfully pulled off his shirt. And now my hands were running down his muscular chest… his well-packed abs… and to his pants… until he caught them in his, stopping me in my tracks.

"I swear, Chikaru..." He grumbled, his voice low and husky. "If this is another fucking game… I'm gonna make you pay for it."

"I'm pretty sure that it's your turn for payback… and I wouldn't wanna cheat by scoring twice in a row." I winked at him, grinning widely. But when I realized that he was still serious, I decided to pacify him. "I just wanna get laid, Renji." I said it flat out. "Meaningless sex… that okay with you?"

He stared at me for only a moment longer before answering. "Hell yeah." A dark blush spread across his face in spite of his enthusiasm.

I started grinning again at his answer. I leaned back in to resume my kisses along his chest, tasting his firm, warm skin. His hands settled onto my waist and he pulled me closer as I reached for his pants again.

"Mmm…" I hummed against his muscled skin as my lips reached his abs. "If you taste this good here… I can't wait to see what you taste like _here_…" I stroked my fingertips over his hardening bulge as I spoke the last word.

He twitched in response, a slight groan escaping his throat. "You really are a tease." He grumbled as his hands started to wander over my body.

I was just about to pull his pants down when a knock sounded on the door.

"Hey! Moocher! Wildling!" It was obviously Jinta… his nicknames for us were unmistakable. "Get your asses out here!"

Renji groaned, nearly collapsing in defeat as he leaned his head into my neck. "Can't catch a fucking break…"

I laughed, even though I kind of wanted to groan in irritation, too. "We'll be right there!"

* * *

After Renji and I had composed ourselves and made sure that we were both properly dressed, we left the room to see quite a bit of commotion going on. It looked like the others had found Uryuu… and they had brought him back, along with a Bount. The two were being treated in one of the extra rooms. Renji and I joined the others and got caught up on everything. Ichigo was very upset… like, way upset… so upset that he was upsetting me.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to act a little more cheerful." Urahara commented.

"When did it get so gloomy in here?" Renji turned his head away from Ichigo. "Ugh. It's bleak."

"Seriously, Ichigo." I grumbled. "You're killing my mood."

Rukia was the one to change the subject. "So what have you heard?" She asked Yoruichi. "Does the Soul Society have any information that might help?"

"The department of Research and Development came up with something..." Yoruichi then explained about something that had happened in the past between the Bounts and the Quincys. And how apparently it wasn't unusual for Bounts to break their own rule and consume living souls at certain points in time. It had been concluded from the research that the Bounts would continue to consume living souls, freely attacking innocent humans. And it had also been speculated that the Bounts had once targeted a particular Quincy for some unknown reason.

"Yoruichi, are you certain about this?" Ichigo asked when she was finished with her recap.

"Maybe if I had heard from someone else…" She answered him. "But I got this from Juushiro Ukitake himself. And he was visibly upset. There's no reason to question it.

"Jin Kariya…" Rukia mumbled the name of the Bount that had apparently been leading the rest in causing all of this trouble. "He's trying to use Uryuu's power as a Quincy to somehow open a hole… and break through to Hueco Mundo." She concluded on her own. "I would imagine that the energy that they've been absorbing from the souls of living humans is necessary for that objective as well… But what is the purpose of a Quincy? Why is he so necessary for their success?"

"We don't have enough information to answer that yet. And we must be very careful until we find the answer." Yoruichi filled in. "At any rate, we've got to do everything that we possibly can to stop Kariya and the other Bounts from attacking living humans until-"

"Hey, Yoruichi." Ichigo cut her off mid-sentence.

"Yes, what is it?" She directed her attention to him.

Ichigo had his hand on his forehead and he looked like he was concentrating much too hard. "There's just one thing in this that doesn't make any sense… they're breaking their own laws by sucking the souls of living humans and going to all this trouble to get a Quincy just to get to Hueco Mundo. But the thing is… what does Kariya plan to do once he's there?"

"If we knew the answer to that, then maybe we could stop it." Yoruichi responded easily.

"Kariya…" Ichigo practically spat the name. "He's powerful enough as it is. What could he possibly do with more power? After you've reached a certain point, what difference does it make?"

"Ichigo." Rukia spoke his name calmingly. "Listen to me."

But it was as if Ichigo didn't even hear her. "He's incredibly strong. It's not like he has to depend on some technique. So then why does he…?"

The room was much too tense for my liking.

"Ichigo… you're thinking too hard." I mumbled, trying to get him to chill out.

"The truth, Ichigo… are you really afraid of this man?" Urahara asked bluntly.

And Ichigo was shaking as he answered. "No, I don't think that's it. It's just that… if I'm really honest with myself… at my current ability… I don't see how I can win."

Well that was nerve-wracking.

"Ichigo." Rukia spoke in concern.

Before anything else could be said, the earth began to shake. Renji jumped up from beside me, staring at the door that led outside. "Wha-What the hell is that?!"

No one needed to answer… because shortly after, Ganju came crashing through the door, a damn boar right there with him. Renji grabbed me up to stand beside him before I could be crushed. And everyone just stared down at the stupid man who had just wrecked a perfectly good door and table.

"It's Ganju!" Orihime yelled out when the dust had settled a bit.

At the sound of his name, the dumbass jumped up to a sitting position and started laughing. "Do I know how to make an entrance or what?!"

I glared at him, completely annoyed as he continued to laugh. And then I kicked him in the back of the head, finally shutting him up as he face planted into the floor.

Ichigo was still glaring down at him as he spoke to me. "Thanks, Chikaru."

I shrugged, crossing my arms over my chest. "Anytime."

"Well you've made quite a mess here, didn't you?" Urahara grumbled as Ganju slowly pulled himself back up, rubbing the knot that I had made on the back of his head. "You'll have time to fix it all later."

"It's just a couple of walls and some furniture…" Ganju tried to play it off.

"First of all, what are you doing here?" Rukia asked, her voice laced with irritation. "And secondly, why were you riding that boar?" She looked questioningly at the stupid boar that had now gotten up and was stalking around the room. "Where on earth did you find it?" She seemed exasperated now.

"Sweet, huh?" He seemed happy with himself as he walked over to sit on the boar. "They got some really strange animals here… I could get used to this."

Chad finally spoke up, deadpanning at the ridiculous man. "You stole it from the zoo, didn't you?"

"I gotta admit, he's not bad." Ganju ignored Chad's question and just continued his rant. "But he's nothing like my Bonnie." He started that obnoxious laughing again. "Oh, come to think of it! You've never met my sweet little Bonnie, have you?" He directed his question at Rukia.

"I'm gonna fucking kick him again." I grumbled, readying another attack.

But Renji stopped me by grabbing my arm and pulling me back into him. "Let's just figure out why he's here…"

"You should let her kick him." Ichigo grumbled.

Rukia was still just giving him an exasperated look. "Why are you here Ganju?"

"Oh, yeah. Right." His dumbassness was showing. "Well it started all of a sudden when I got this feeling of a gloomy spiritual pressure coming from somewhere in town." He nudged the boar until it was in front of Ichigo, then proceeded to lean down into his face. "I'm the type who's very sensitive to these kinds of things. So I just hopped on my boar, followed my nose, and look where I ended up…" His stupid gaze narrowed in on Ichigo. "And the gloomy bastard I sensed was you!"

Ichigo's glare intensified. "What'd you call me?" He spoke through gritted teeth.

But everyone took a moment to just kind of look at Ichigo, sensing the gloomy mood that just oozed from him.

"I hadn't noticed before, but you're right…" Rukia murmured.

"He reeks of it." Renji agreed.

I rolled my eyes at them. "I _told_ you that he was killing my mood!"

"Whoa!" Urahara yelled dramatically, fanning the air in front of his face. "Someone open the windows! I can't breathe in here!"

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled angrily. "You can't talk about me like I'm garbage or something!"

Ganju grabbed him by the shirt and got into his face. "You're right! Rotten garbage is more like it. I'm gonna take you out and freshen you up a little." Then, without letting go of Ichigo, he looked up at Urahara. "Hey, old man! Ya know a good place where I could do that?"

Urahara gave him a surprised and mildly gaping look. "Old man?" His face fell and his eyes narrowed exasperatedly.

"Don't mind him… he's a fucking dumbass." I grumbled, kicking Ganju again and knocking him down onto the ground.

"Yeah well this dumbass is about to take out the trash!" He hollered, immediately jumping back up and dusting himself off.

"You may not know it to look at me but your older sister and I are good friends… though that's a story for another time." Urahara mumbled with a grin as he lifted the door that led down into the underground training area. "Right this way…"

"Yeah! Now we're talking!" He pulled out a soul candy and left his Gigai. "Come on, Ichigo. It's for your own good." Then he looked at Ichigo again. "Alright. Now get out of your Gigai so we can get started."

Ichigo glared at him, fists clenched at his sides. "This isn't a Gigai!" He had only barely finished his sentence when Rukia came up behind him and smacked his soul out of his body.

"How's that?" She asked cockily, making Ichigo give her an accusing glare.

"What the hell are you doing Rukia?!"

And then Renji decided to get in on it, too. With his Gigai now discarded, he grabbed Ichigo on one side while Ganju grabbed him on the other. "I'll come along and help you."

"The more the merrier." Ganju accepted the help. "Now move it, Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked at me with demanding, pleading eyes. "Don't just stand there! Help me!"

I looked at Ganju, more than willing to kick his ass… and the fact that Ichigo was asking for help gave me an excuse to do just that.

"Don't even think about it, Chikaru!" Renji commanded, using that tone to remind me who was in charge.

I sighed dejectedly, looking at Ichigo with a shrug. "Sorry, but my hands are tied."

"Aww, come on! You can't just let them do this to me!" He argued, legs kicking as they held on to his arms.

I scratched the back of my head, ruffling my messy, black hair. "I wish I could help you, Ichigo… but unfortunately, Renji outranks me."

"Dammit!" He screamed as they moved to drop him down into the training area. "Can't we talk about this?! What's the rush?!"

"Ready or not, now here you go!" Ganju yelled as they let him go.

And Ichigo screamed the entire way down. It was actually kind of funny… even if Renji was helping a dumbass mistreat Ichigo.

* * *

**Do you think that Chikaru will help get the gloom out of Ichigo?**

* * *

**Suzume Amai, thank you for the compliment on the dialogue. As far as your comment on imagery, there is a reason for that… for one thing, there isn't much imagery involved on a phone call, that's why it's mostly dialogue on the parts where Chikaru is talking on her Soul Pager. And another thing is that the story is written from Chikaru's POV, and we're seeing things as she sees them. As a person that pays more attention to people than surroundings, there isn't going to be much description or imagery… unless she's dealing with her Zanpakuto. On my other stories, where the OCs have different personalities and they're written from their POV, there is a better balance of dialogue and description of what is happening around the character. So hopefully you can understand why this particular story is written this way :) Thank you for your review!**

**Guest, thank you! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter :)**

**Satoberi, lol, of course they were! Someone needs to worry about her, since she doesn't worry about herself… haha. And she does have some cute relationships, lol ;)**

**P.S. Ellie, ooooh… maybe! ;) hehe. And hahaha! Yes, he sure does!**

**claudiacorvo, thank you! I'm glad that you love it! And thanks for your review! :)**


	12. Chapter 12: A Friendly Shove

**5 points to P.S. Ellie and Satoberi!**

* * *

Chapter 12: A Friendly Shove

* * *

I had decided to also abandon my Gigai and follow the three morons down into the training area. I was watching as Ganju and Renji were lecturing Ichigo again, rather bored with the entire situation.

"I'm telling you, you're scared!" Ganju was screaming at him as he held him by the collar. "You're a weak-kneed, lily-livered coward and it makes me sick! Now I'm gonna beat that cowardice out of you!"

"Yeah?!" Ichigo screamed back at him. "I'd like to see you try!" He pushed him away from him, finally fighting back.

Ganju laughed as he leapt away. "'Bout time you showed some spirit!" Then he looked at Renji. "Why don't you take it from here?"

Renji looked surprised at the suggestion. "Huh? You said you were going to-"

But Ganju interrupted him. "I thought you'd want to, but I guess if you're afraid…"

Renji narrowed his brown eyes at the dumbass. "What'd you say?" His tone was sharp.

Ganju moved so that he was behind Renji and pushed him forward by the shoulders. "That's the spirit! Now get in there!"

Renji placed his hand on his Zanpakuto, conceding. "Guess I might as well, then."

I rolled my eyes at them. How was it that Renji and Ichigo were both so easily manipulated by such a moronic dumbass? "You're such an idiot…" I grumbled under my breath.

Renji sent me a glare. "Keep your commentary to yourself!"

"Wait!" Ichigo glared at Ganju, catching on to what was happening. "What about you! Hey!"

But Renji was ready to begin. "Here I come, Ichigo!"

And then the two were clashing together. Renji was attacking while Ichigo was concentrating on defending. He blocked all of Renji's attacks, but made no move to counter.

"Come on, you coward!" Renji grunted irritably. "Put up a fight!"

Ganju, whom had retreated to a safe location, started taunting Ichigo again. "I never should have let Renji fight because in your pathetic condition even _I_ could have whipped your ass!"

I snorted, almost laughing at his audacity. "Please… you made Renji fight him because _you're_ the fucking coward."

But Ganju ignored my statement and just started laughing obnoxiously.

Ichigo glared at Ganju, still holding off Renji. "Chikaru's right! So if you really think you can whip my ass you should come down here and prove it!"

Renji kept his focus on the fight. "Don't let them distract you!" Then with a kick, he sent Ichigo flying backward.

"Now it's my turn!" Ganju yelled before using a sand attack on Ichigo while he was down. Though the dumbass ended up getting caught in his own attack and swiftly made another retreat…

"Why, you-!" Ichigo yelled in frustration, swinging his sword at the man. "Come back here and fight!"

"Sorry, I don't take orders from a coward! But I will give you some more sand!" Ganju kept taunting him.

I let out a long and dragging groan. "Come on, Ichigo! You're better than this!" I smacked my forehead in exasperation. "Stop letting these two toy with you!"

He growled in frustration, preparing to attack.

But a ringing sound stopped everyone in their tracks.

Ganju stared at his pocket before pulling out a phone. "Dodger, here." … "Oh, Hanataro! What's going on?" … "Oh, right. I'll come right away." And then he hung up, directing his attention back to us. "The store's busy so Hanataro says I've gotta go back!"

"Huh?" The two boys were very confused.

"You'll have to finish up!" He was already walking away.

"Hey, what's the deal?!" Renji yelled after him. "You asked me to come along and help and then you just leave?!"

Ganju turned to look back at Renji. "I don't wanna go but Hanataro said I've got to get back to the shop right away." And then he gave him a huge grin and a salute goodbye. "I'll see ya later!" He was giving his obnoxious laugh as he ran away.

"Now the guy's running away…" Renji grumbled angrily.

"I told you that he was a dumbass." I grumbled with him, though I was relieved that he was finally leaving.

Then Renji turned back to Ichigo with a determined look in his eye. "Well, it doesn't really matter…" And he swung his Zanpakuto right toward Ichigo's head before activating his Shikai.

Then they were fighting again. Though Ichigo was getting significantly more beat up this time.

"He was right about one thing!" Renji yelled as Ichigo pulled himself up off the ground. "You're in such a pathetic state right now that you can barely defend yourself!"

"Shut up, Renji!" Ichigo grunted, all patience with the situation lost now.

But Renji didn't let up. "Why are you afraid of Kariya?!" He demanded.

"I am not afraid!" Ichigo yelled back in denial.

I stepped forward, beside Renji now, my arms crossed beneath my chest. "You can't deny it, Ichigo… if you weren't afraid, then you wouldn't be so… broken."

"When did you turn into such a sniveling coward?!" Renji continued to question him.

Ichigo was gritting his teeth in frustration. "I'm no coward, Renji!"

"Something happened to you in that fight with Kariya, Ichigo… you're not fighting with the same determination that you usually have." I backed Renji up, hoping that Ichigo would crack and just get over whatever was holding him back.

"Nothing happened to me! I'm fine!" He yelled at me.

"Then why are you so fucking bleak!" I yelled back at him. "Get over whatever the hell is bothering you and be the man that you're supposed to be!"

His brown eyes met mine, burning with his irritation. "And just who the hell is that?! Who do you think I'm supposed to be?!"

I smiled at him, letting my arms fall to my sides. "Well you should know, idiot… you're the one who told me that you're a guardian. And it's your job to protect the people that are important to you, right?" I stepped forward, standing in front of him now. "A guardian is useless if he's too scared to fight. So step the fuck up and be ready to protect everyone from this threat."

* * *

_I had run into the Ryoka by pure accident. Captain Kenpachi had ordered all of us to look for them and to let him know as soon as we found the one who was supposedly the strongest… but I hadn't really bothered. I was too busy trying to fetch some sake for Ikkaku, since he was cooped up in the 4__th__ division infirmary. But here the Ryoka was, right in front of me… and not just any Ryoka. It was the one that my division was supposed to be searching for._

_"__You wouldn't happen to be Kurosaki Ichigo, would you?" I asked, just to be sure… I mean, just because he fit the description didn't mean that he was the right one. There could be a look alike…_

_"__Yeah. And who are you?!" He glared back at me, his brown eyes narrowed with determination and hand ready to draw his Zanpakuto. _

_I grinned. "I'm Yasei Chikaru, 4__th__ seat of the 11__th__ Division." I introduced myself with a happy flourish. "It's nice to meet you." I imagined that if he hadn't been cornered in an alleyway that he already would have run off._

_"__What do you want?!" He demanded, obviously not one for friendly conversation._

_I shrugged, still grinning. "Nothing really… just wanted to make sure that I had the right guy." I was quite happy with myself. I was finally meeting the human that Renji had told me about… the one that Rukia had given her powers to… and the very same human that had somehow managed to defeat Ikkaku… he must have gotten stronger since his encounter with Renji in the Human World._

_He lifted an orange brow, eyeing me skeptically… though he didn't let his guard down. "Right guy for what?"_

_"__To tell my captain, of course!" I answered obviously. "He's looking for you, ya know."_

_He finally let his arms drop to his sides and stood up straight. "Yeah… I heard." He grumbled. "That Kenpachi guy, right?"_

_"__So Ikkaku told you, huh?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side. "It's so weird that you were able to beat him…" I mumbled out loud, honestly wondering how he was able to do it._

_"__Yeah and I'll beat your ass, too, if I have to!" He shouted, going into defensive mode again._

_I laughed. "As much as I would love to fight you… seeing as you beat our 3__rd__ seat and all…" I considered the idea, getting excited at just the thought of it. "…I mean, it would be so much fun! I want to see just how strong you really are…" I sighed dejectedly though, deflating as I remembered my captain's orders. "But my captain would have my head, since he wants to fight you, himself." _

_He relaxed again, brown eyes locked suspiciously on me. "So you're just gonna leave me alone, then?"_

_I shrugged. "Technically, I have to report your location to my captain."_

_"__Fine. I'll be gone by the time he gets here." He spat out, not at all deterred. His determination was truly admirable._

_I giggled at his response. "What are you so fixated on, anyway? I hear you got your ass kicked in the Human World… so you bust into the Soul Society knowing there are an outnumbering amount of Soul Reapers ready to kick your ass again… and yet you're still trying to fight… for what?" I was honestly curious. This guy was intriguing…_

_"__Who cares if I get my ass kicked?!" He shouted irritably. "I'll just keep getting back up! I'll keep fighting!"_

_I smiled at him, tilting my head the other way. "Yeah… but why?"_

_"__Because!" He growled in frustration. "I'm a guardian! I'm supposed to protect the people that are important to me!" He clenched his fists at his sides, his determined gaze staring down at the ground now. "And I let her down… so now I've gotta save her… I'm gonna save her!"_

_I gathered that he was talking about Kuchiki Rukia. I nodded, satisfied with his answer. "Well that's a good reason to keep fighting…" I rolled my shoulders, stepping aside so that he could pass. "Well, go on then, guardian… go protect her."_

_He looked up at me, shock and confusion on his face. "And what are you going to do?"_

_I leaned against the wall, still grinning at him. "Well… I'll tell my captain that I saw you, of course…" And then I gave him a wink. "But you'll be long gone by the time that he gets here." After all, I could tell how important Rukia was to him… and I knew how important she was to Renji, too… I wasn't sure if this kid could actually save her, but I figured that he deserved the chance to try._

_He nodded at me, determination set in his brown eyes. "Thank you."_

_I lowered my head, closing my golden gaze as he passed by. "Don't mention it."_

* * *

"At that time, a loss didn't hold you back… You kept on going. You kept on fighting." It was my turn to lecture him. And since I was so rarely serious, the entire atmosphere had grown somber as I spoke. "A loss is only an opportunity to grow stronger. So get stronger, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded at me, a new determination in his eyes. I stepped out of the way as I heard Renji calling out his attack behind me.

"Zabimaru, roar!"

Ichigo leapt into the fight, now with new resolution. And as they collided again, he was finally able to hold his own. Though there was still something holding him back from fighting to his full ability.

"Since when did you start obsessing about winning and losing, Ichigo?! You are pathetic! That's the reason you're so nervous, isn't it?!" Renji caught on to the point that I had made and was trying to goad him into fighting harder. "_I don't see how I can win_." He mocked him. "Why are you wasting your time thinking about winning, now?! You never gave it a thought when you charged into the Soul Society!"

Now that we were able to actually use sense in our words, rather than just uselessly taunting him, we were getting through… with every hit, Ichigo was giving more. The two locked into a powerful attack, screaming as they released their spiritual pressure. Ichigo was actually able to knock Renji's Zanpakuto out of his hand. There was a fire in his eyes now, rather than the frustration and gloom that had been there before.

"Looks like you finally found some of that old determination, huh?" Renji grinned as he watched Ichigo approach him.

But Ichigo kept stalking forward, not backing down even though we had accomplished what we set out to do.

"Hey… you're not gonna hold that against me are you?" A slight panic began to spread across Renji's face as he put his hands up in front of him in a sign of surrender. "Wait! That coward stuff… I was just trying to give ya a friendly shove, ya know?!"

I couldn't help but laugh. Ichigo was finally back to normal and Renji was freaking out.

Renji snapped his worried glare in my direction. "Don't fucking laugh! Help me out here!"

I doubled over in laughter. "Why is it that you morons always want help after you dig your own holes?!"

"Hey!" Renji yelled at me again.

Ichigo stopped in front of Renji, the determined glare still burning in his brown eyes. He leaned in close, looking like he was about to pummel him. But then he just grumbled "Thanks for the shove… it worked." And he turned to step away from him, looking at me now. "And thanks to you, too, Chikaru."

I grinned at him, happy that this nonsense was finally over. "Anytime, Ichigo."

Renji grinned, too, chuckling as he watched Ichigo walk away.

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**I'm too tired for a question this time, so 5 points to anyone who reviews :)**

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**P.S. Ellie, haha, yeah, so close! And OMG I know! I couldn't help myself… he annoys me, too! XD And yep, she certainly is good at lightening tension :)**

**Satoberi, lol, yeah, she really does have a hard time sitting still… and hahaha, of course she had to keep him from bringing her down! ;D**


	13. Chapter 13: Some Coffee with Your Sugar?

**5 points to Savage Kill, Satoberi, and P.S. Ellie!**

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Chapter 13: Some Coffee with Your Sugar?

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We ended up training all night… because it seemed like a reasonable enough thing to do. But now that it was morning, the guys were complaining. They practically hobbled their way upstairs and to the table, where Tessai was setting out food.

"Ugh… I'm exhausted." Ichigo groaned as he leaned onto the doorway for support before making his way to sit down.

Renji stumbled after him, also groaning. "I can't believe we trained until the sun came up."

I rolled my eyes at them, taking my seat with ease. "You two are pathetic. If one night of training has you this worn out… then you seriously need to build up your stamina."

Renji glared at me, a deadly look in his brown eyes. "Shut the fuck up, Chikaru. Not everyone spends their days and nights fighting like you, dumbass."

"I'm a member of the 11th Division! Fighting is what I live for!" I snapped back at him, sticking out my tongue before continuing. "Apparently, being in the 6th Division for so long has made you soft…"

"What'd you say?!" He growled, leaning toward me threateningly.

"You heard me!" I leaned right back at him, my face now in his.

"Jeez, guys…" Ichigo grumbled at us. "Give it a rest. I'm too tired for your shit."

"Eat your breakfast." Tessai demanded, his voice sharp and intolerant. "I felt generous today so I even prepared some for the moocher."

Renji sighed, deflating back into a slouched position. "I really hate it when you call me that…"

I giggled, leaning back into my seat. "My nickname is definitely better…"

Tessai nodded. "The wilding earns her meals."

Renji rolled his eyes while I giggled again.

"Where's Kisuke?" Ichigo asked, looking around the room.

"He's in back, making some repairs to the Gigai of Ririn and the others." Tessai answered him easily.

Chad walked in then, holding a steaming glass pot. "Want some coffee?"

"Sure." Ichigo smiled up at him.

But I was confused.

And Renji's face mirrored my confusion. "Hm? Cof-fee?"

I watched with mesmerized interest as Chad poured a strange, brown liquid into ceramic cups.

"Thanks." Ichigo thanked him, taking his cup without question.

But Renji and I just stared at our cups, still confused. Renji looked mildly disturbed. But I was more curious than anything. It smelled strong and bitter… and the liquid was rather dense.

"What do you think it tastes like?" I asked Renji in a whisper.

He shrugged, picking up his cup to get a closer look. "I guess we can find out…" He whispered back at me. He put the cup to his lips and drank the mysterious liquid. And then he spluttered it all out, a horrified look on his face.

"Renji?!" I screeched, dodging the projectile spray. And then I glared at Ichigo and Chad. "What did you do?! Did you try to poison him?!"

"What the hell?!" Ichigo was screaming, holding out his now-soaked clothes. "What's wrong with you?!"

Noba was already walking across the table with a towel.

Renji slammed down his cup and set his glare on Ichigo. "That's disgusting! What is this stuff?!"

I deadpanned at him. "You mean you spit it all over the place because you didn't like the taste?!" I smacked him over the back of the head. "You dumbass!"

He rubbed the back of his head as he turned his glare to me. "Well why don't _you_ try it?!"

"Fine!" I looked at my cup, honey eyes burning with determination. I took a deep breath. And then I drank down the liquid… fuck! It tasted like burned dirt and death! I immediately spat it out, also sending a spray of the dark liquid across the room.

"Fuck, Chikaru! Stop that!" Ichigo yelled at me, getting soaked all over again.

"See?!" Renji shouted pointedly. And then he glared around the room. "Now what the hell is this shit?!"

"I told you before…" Chad answered calmly. "It's coffee."

"Well it's horrible!" Renji roared in distaste.

"You guys are serious, aren't you?" Ichigo finally composed himself. "You've never had it before." Then he chuckled, giving us a superior smirk. "Such children…"

Renji immediately snapped. "What did you say?!"

I also snapped. "Say that to my fucking face, you asshole!"

Ichigo just continued to chuckle.

"Want some sugar?" Chad asked, intervening in the argument.

"Huh? Sugar?" Renji asked curiously. "You mean you're supposed to put sugar in it first? Well… couldn't hurt."

I watched with a lifted brow as Noba added some sugar cubes to both of our cups.

Renji took the first sip. And he shook his head. So Noba added some more cubes.

"Uh, one more…" Renji mumbled, so Noba added another. "Maybe two more." He watched as Noba added a couple more.

"Oh, come on!" Ichigo grumbled. "Just eat the sugar cubes!"

"_You_ eat the sugar cubes, you fucking sourpuss!" I spat at him, also gesturing for Noba to add some more sugar to my cup. I wasn't about to try that shit again until Renji said he liked it.

"What's all the commotion in here, this morning?" Rukia asked as she walked into the room.

Orihime walked in behind her with a happy smile on her face. "Hi, everyone!"

Ichigo finally started smiling, too. "Oh. Hi."

I grinned, looking at Orihime. "Now there's the kind of sweetness that I like!"

She smiled widely back at me.

I turned my attention to watching Renji try his coffee again. "Is it good yet?"

He shrugged. "Takes about seven cubes… then it's decent."

I nodded, making sure that I had the same amount. And then I tried the awful liquid again. Now it just tasted like sugar… with a bitter undertone. "Much better." I nodded to myself. "But it's still kinda horrible."

He nodded along with me. "I agree."

Rukia had sat down at the table… and she was wearing a thoughtful expression.

Ichigo turned to her curiously. "What is it?"

She just smiled at him. "Well it looks like you're finally over your depression."

"Yeah, but it took him forever." Renji grinned, giving me a nudge in the ribs.

So I grinned, too. "All that bitching and moaning… I'm glad he's over it."

Renji snickered beside me. "I thought he was _never_ gonna cheer up."

I giggled along with him. "But we finally knocked some sense into him."

"Hey!" Ichigo shouted indignantly. "It was not that big a deal!"

Renji gave him mischievous grin. "Oh?"

Ichigo leaned back immediately, nearly blushing. "Don't give me that look!"

I cracked up laughing, because the scene was just too funny.

Rukia sighed, apparently not as entertained as I was. "Let's forget about that."

Ichigo was happy with her suggestion. "Right."

Our attention was quickly diverted when Orihime started making a big deal about how good the food looked… it was a strange experiment that Tessai had come up with. But Orihime was chowing down happily. I shrugged, not really caring either way. Food was food, and I was happy to eat it.

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**How do you think that Chikaru will react when the Mod Souls tell them that Uryu has run off again?**

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**Savage Kill, thank you! I'm glad that you think so :) **

**Satoberi, yeawww, I think so too! hehe :)**

**P.S. Ellie, lol, she sure is! ;D**


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